Returning Home
by Cricketteer
Summary: Emma followed Henry off to Atlanta for college, so Regina makes sure they return to Storybrooke once a month for a family weekend. The monthly trips start becoming harder on Emma as she falls more and more in love with Regina, and Henry makes it his mission to get his moms together once and for all, but is that just going to drive them farther apart?
1. Chapter 1

As Emma flies over Maine for the dozenth time, her heart aches more and more. Henry's at her side, sleeping off his excitement. He has come to like flying, but Emma has yet to let him fly alone. Even at 19 now, he's still too young to be by himself… Or at least that's what she tells every one. It's really just an excuse to come back. An excuse to have a family meal, enjoy a night cap at Granny's, sleep under silk sheets, and see her.

Henry left for school in Atlanta last year, and Emma followed him, picking up a job and renting an apartment near campus. Regina never wanted him to leave, but more than that, she couldn't leave, so Emma took one for the team. Emma just got her family back a few years ago, and leaving was harder than she imagined. Now it just keeps getting harder.

Once the plane lands, Emma shakes Henry awake. "Time to go, kid."

Henry wipes drool on his flannel sleeve and yawns in her face. She grimaces and shoves him away, eliciting a soft chuckle from the ever-growing boy.

"Thanks for letting me tag-along," she says handing him his bag from the overhead compartment and pulling her leather jacket over her shoulders.

"You always come with me."

"Well, I know." She continued, following the mass of passengers impatiently shuffling down the aisle, "I just know some day you're probably gonna want to fly alone."

"When that day comes, just buy our seats separate. You have to come back with me. I'm the only reason you're gone."

They exit the plane and both sigh when they hit solid ground again, neither overly keen on the numerous plane trips Regina foots the bill for.

Henry nudges Emma in the shoulder when her grounding takes a bit too long. "Ma, Mom's gonna be waiting for us." Emma sets her jaw and nods, following him.

"You get more nervous every time."

"Do not."

"Do so. It's just home. What are you so worked up for?"

Emma shrugs. "Feels weird coming in and out all of the time. These long weekends take a toll on work."

"Liar."

"Am not."

"Am so," he mocks. "It's Mom, isn't it?"

Emma steps on the escalator down to baggage claim and stares at him. "Why would she have anything to do with it?"

"You tell me," Henry says as he nods his head to Regina holding a sign reading Swan-Mills at the base of the escalator. Henry's 18th birthday present to himself was hyphenating his last name. Emma spent nearly 3 months hiding her jealousy from him every time he reminded her. He smiles when Emma's eyes widen and cheeks redden slightly. His chuckle pulls her out of the trance, and she swats him just as they step onto the bottom level.

Henry pushes through the crowd into his mother's waiting arms.

"Oh, Henry, I've missed you so much." She pulls his head down and stretches on her tip toes to kiss his cheeks and forehead before pulling him into a hug.

"You too, Mom," he mumbles into the top of her head that now sits below his chin.

"Hey, Regina," Emma says as she settles in at Henry's side.

Regina squeezes Henry one more time then moves to hold Emma's shoulders. "Emma," she says sweetly before kissing her on the cheek.

Still not used to the greeting from every trip to Maine, Emma fights a gasp and a blush. She glares when Henry chuckles at her.

Regina slowly glides her hands down Emma's covered arms, stopping at her wrists. She studies the apparent staring contest between son and mother. "What?"

"Nothing," Henry laughs and walks to retrieve his bags.

Emma moves to follow, but Regina tightens her grip on her wrists. Regina smiles. "I've missed you as well."

Emma rolls her eyes. "It's only been a month."

Hurt flashes in Regina's eyes, and Emma instantly knows her mistake. Regina recoils into herself, crossing her arms, and a fierce Madame Mayor glare sets on her face.

Emma reaches out and takes Regina's elbows. "I'm sorry. I've missed you too. It's just hard to imagine you feeling the same."

Regina looks Emma from head to toe then holds her gaze. "I am permitted to desire stability in my home, and you happen to be an integral part of that. If you wish to be missed less, stop joining our son on his monthly visits so I have no need to expect you." Regina turns on her sharp heel and stalks toward Henry who is pulling the last of their bags from the conveyor.

Emma grumbles to herself and follows. Henry's eyes widen as he looks between the two of them. He glares at Emma. "What'd you do?"

"What!" Emma stops short. "Who says it was me?"

"It always is, dear," Regina snarks, a smirk gracing her lips.

Emma huffs as the Mills stare at her. "Well, are we leaving or not? I'm starving."

"Are you ever not?" Regina asks, leading them to the car. As Regina pulls the keys from her pocket, Henry rushes forward and takes them. He holds them up triumphantly.

"Shot gun!" Emma yells and rushes toward the Mercedes in the pick up line.

After loading bags in the trunk, Emma moves to the passenger door where Regina is standing. "I called shotgun," she states but wavers when Regina stands firmly. "Let me just get the door for you." She opens the door and gestures for Regina to sit then slides in the back seat.

Henry laughs and makes a whip sound. Emma sticks her tongue out and huffs as she settles into the back seat, trying to not to let loose the smile that wants to grace her lips. It's good to be home.

The car ride is relatively quick if not bumpy from Henry's lack of practice. Although she would likely never admit it, Emma enjoys having Henry at the wheel. He always seems genuinely happy, and although she is over being relegated to the back seat, she loves watching the two of them and listening to Henry's recap of the month. Regina insists on every detail, and Henry has yet to disappoint.

As they cross the Storybrooke line, Emma releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. Regina glances over her shoulder at Emma and watches with a raised eyebrow.

"Car sick," Emma lies.

That raises another eyebrow. "Since when?" Emma just shrugs so Regina rolls her eyes. "One of your superpowers certainly is not lying convincingly." She turns back around. "Regardless of what you believe, we are all glad to have you home, dear."

"I'm glad to be home too." Emma fiddles with her hands and catches Henry's eye in the rearview mirror.

The car slows in front of Granny's, but Regina pats him on the hand. "Home first, Henry. I have surprises…" She turns to Emma. "For both of you."

Emma's eyebrows about hit her hairline. Getting gifts from Regina is not something she has gotten used to, especially outside of her birthday and Christmas.

"What is it?" Henry asks excitedly.

"You will see soon."

They stop at the mansion on Mifflin Street and neither Henry nor Emma can help the goofy smiles adorning their faces.

Before Regina can open her door, Emma leaps out of the car and does it for her.

"Thank you, dear," Regina says sweetly and squeezes Emma's forearm as she passes.

Emma looks over to see Henry's smirk. Narrowing her eyes, she silently tells him to shut the hell up. She tilts her head slightly and notices another Mercedes behind Henry. This one red. She spins to Regina. "Who's here?"

"Pardon?" Regina stops at the porch just before opening the door.

"The car. I've never seen it."

Regina waves nonchalantly at the car. "Oh that just belongs to a handsome gentleman I know."

Henry and Emma both gape at Regina and shout in unison, "What?"

"Handsome?" Emma squeaks out.

"Very," Regina responds, her smirk intensifying. She opens the door and with one last glance over her shoulder says, "And he's staying here this weekend." Regina enters the house, leaving the door open behind her.

Henry retrieves the bags from the trunk and moves next to Emma who is still staring dumbly at the open door with her mouth open. "This guy better not be our surprise," Henry mumbles.

"Maybe I'll stay with my parents," Emma says quietly.

"Ma," Henry whines. "You can't just give up that easily.

Emma snaps her head to him. "Excuse me?"

Henry rolls his eyes. "You haven't dated any of your obnoxious boyfriends since I was 16. I'm not dense."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It does with the way you look at Mom."

Regina calls from the house. "Are you two coming in? I made lasagna. And Henry, you can try my cider tonight."

With one last glance at each other, Henry and Emma race inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Two servings each later, Henry and Emma slouch in their chairs as Regina happily watches them, memorizing their faces as she has come accustomed to since they moved to Atlanta.

"Cider?" Henry asks excitedly.

"Surprise first," Regina responds and moves toward a table housing a small box.

Emma sips her beer. "Your handsome gentleman hiding in a closet or something?"

"I certainly hope not for his girlfriend's sake."

Emma and Henry share a confused look then shift their attention back to the box Regina is setting in front of Henry.

"You remember that car outside?"

Henry perks up. "Yeah." He makes quick work of the box as soon as Regina gives the go ahead. His breath catches and he stares at the keys in front of his face.

Emma jumps to her feet. "You got the kid a Benz?"

Regina kisses his head. "Surprise, my handsome gentleman."

"Holy shit!" he yells, clutching the keys to his chest.

"Henry!" Regina scolds.

"I mean… yay!" Henry springs out of his chair and yanks Regina into a huge hug.

"But you said I couldn't get him a car," Emma fusses.

Enjoying the lasting hug, Regina rubs Henry's back. "I refused to let you buy him some death trap. Besides, I do not want him driving around that awful city where you two moved."

Henry releases her with a furrowed brow. "It's just for Storybrooke?"

Regina pats his cheek. "Yes."

Emma throws up a hand. "You can't have a car that's only driven once a month."

"I assure you it will be well taken care of."

"But… a Benz?"

"I'm not sure why that is stumping you, dear."

Henry looks back and forth between his moms. "Yeah, I'm gonna go." He rushes for the door and calls a farewell over his shoulder. Regina and Emma both wince when the door slams shut.

Regina smiles at the door and turns back to Emma who is leaning on the table with a scowl on her face. "Problem, dear?"

"I'm his mom too, you know."

"I am well aware."

Emma sighs and plops back down in her chair, finishing her beer. "You could have at least asked me first."

Regina crosses her arms. "Are you saying I need your permission to buy my son a gift?"

"Our son, and when it's something huge, I'd like a vote."

Regina watches her for a moment then nods. "I apologize for not consulting with you first. Would you prefer I return the car?"

Emma releases a single loud laugh. "Yeah right. I'd prefer Henry continue speaking with me. But his curfew stands."

"Agreed." Regina gestures for Emma to follow her out of the dining room. "Time for your surprise."

"Gonna let me meet your new boyfriend?" Emma grumbles and follows behind her.

Regina spins around. "What gives you the impression that I have a boyfriend?"

"Don't you?"

"No. Not for quite some time."

Emma slips her hands into the back pockets of her skinny jeans. "But you want one?"

Regina watches Emma struggle to match her gaze. "Not particularly. Are you alright?"

Emma shrugs. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Regina tries to catch those green eyes again then simply turns and heads for the stairs. "Come upstairs, dear."

That gets Emma's attention. "What?"

"I have something to show you in the bedroom."

"What?" Her heart starts beating hard as her mind whirls and her eyes focus on Regina's ass just in front of her face on the steps. "What – uh- what exactly could you be showing me in the bedroom?"

They move past Regina's bedroom and Emma can't help the disappointment on her face. No matter how unlikely it would be for Regina to have anything for Emma behind that sacred door, a girl can dream.

Stopping at the guest bedroom Emma always sleeps in, Regina gestures for Emma to open the door.

"Um…" Emma responds upon entering a completely empty room. "Are you… kicking me out or something?"

"That would be a terrible surprise."

"Well? I don't get it."

Regina looks about ready to pat herself on the back while Emma's still waiting to get the boot. "I sold all of the furniture."

"Okay. Good for you."

"No, dear, good for you."

Emma throws her hands up. "Regina, can you just spill already? You're making me anxious."

Regina chuckles softly. "I want you to take the money and buy new furniture."

"Huh?"

"You can convince your father to paint it for you and buy some clothes to keep here."

"Huh?"

With a heavy sigh, Regina puts her hands on her hips. "Honestly, Emma, am I going to have to start referring to you as an idiot like your parents?"

Emma looks around the empty room again. "But why?"

Regina moves forward and places her hands on Emma's biceps. The tingling sensation under Regina's fingers forces Emma to grant her the attention she seeks. Regina smiles softly. "You left your apartment and town to be with our son hundreds of miles away. You come back here every month with nowhere to call your own. This is your home too, Emma, and I want you to make your room your own, just like Henry and I have our own."

"You're not going to like my taste. It's not quite so immaculate… or cold."

Regina narrows her eyes at that, but Emma's playful smirk eases her. "You and Henry are my little tasteless slobs. I'm used to it." She releases Emma's arms, and Emma barely hides her pout. Bending down, she retrieves an envelope leaning against the wall and passes it to Emma.

Emma opens the envelope to reveal thousands of dollars in cash. "Damn, Regina. Did you have drugs in the pillows?"

"That will more than cover the awful furniture you will purchase. You and Henry can go tomorrow."

"You aren't coming?"

Regina scoffs. "Trust me, you do not want my opinions on your choices."

"Wanna help me shop for clothes?"

Laughing, Regina shakes her head. "Do you really wish to know my thoughts on your lack of fashion sense?"

Emma crosses her arms. "You like how I look."

Regina runs her eyes over Emma's body. "Perhaps." She spins and leave a flustered Emma in the empty bedroom.

Finally trotting down the steps, Emma finds Regina removing the apple turnover from the oven.

"So…" Emma starts as she enters the kitchen. Regina doesn't bother to look up. "Henry and I are shopping tomorrow?"

"Yes, dear. I think that will be best. Henry won't be back from his joy ride anytime soon, I imagine."

Emma scratches the back of her head. "You sold the bed, and I'm not buying a new one until tomorrow."

"Is that a problem?"

"Only if I plan on sleeping tonight."

Regina's head snaps up.

"Regina."

Regina bites her lip.

"I can't believe you of all people didn't think that through."

"I'm sorry. I was so set on surprising you, the consequences did not fully register." Regina waves it off. "No worries. You'll sleep in the other guest room."

"No," Emma whines. "I hate that room. It's so creepy."

"It is not creepy."

"How would you know? You aren't the one that has to sleep with those shadows and the branches scratching the window."

Regina shrugs. "I have a lopper. Make yourself useful."

"Regina."

She slices into the turnover, making plates for Emma and herself. "Henry's bed is probably too small to share, but you can try."

Emma scrunches her face. "Ew, no. Do you have any idea how bad that kid smells right now?"

Chuckling lightly, Regina slides a plate to Emma who accepts it willingly. "Well you aren't sleeping with me."

Emma leans against the island on one elbow. "Why not?"

Regina's fork lingers halfway to her mouth. "I'm sorry?"

"I don't bite. Much." Emma winks.

Regina sets her fork back down on her plate and leans forward on the island, letting her shirt fall forward, exposing her cleavage. She laughs as Emma tries and fails not to glance, then straightens up. "Interesting," she says as she slowly takes a bite of the turnover and licks her fork clean.

"Funny," Emma grumbles, taking her plate to the living room. She plops on the couch and stabs at her food.

Regina settles into the opposite end of the couch. "I only meant to tease."

Emma rolls her eyes. "You're quite the jokester."

"Do you want to talk about something?"

"I cannot even begin to tell you how much I do not want to have this conversation. There's only so much mocking I can take per day."

"I thought you'd be used to that by now." Regina giggles at Emma's glare and puts up a hand in mock surrender. "Fine, then a drink and you can tell me about Atlanta over a game of chess."

"No chess."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Emma grins. "Strip poker."

"You know I'm terrible at poker."

"Exactly."

Regina shakes her head. "Henry may not be keen on that show, dear."

She shrugs. "He's seen us in our underwear."

"You're insufferable." Regina sets her plate on the table. "You get the chess board while I pour our drinks."

Emma's eyes follow Regina out of the room. "Don't even trust me with the cocktails?"

"Most certainly not, Emma." Regina glances back and shakes her head when she catches Emma looking at her ass. "You're as bad as Henry with looking at girls."

Emma blushes and jumps up to retrieve the chess game.


	3. Chapter 3

Henry bobs back and forth to the music while Emma slouches in the passenger seat nursing her coffee. She eyeballs him. "How was your night?"

"Went and saw Grace," he responds, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Won't your lady friend at school be a bit jealous?"

"Nah, we broke up."

"Again?"

Henry winks. "Every time I come home."

"That's terrible, Henry. I can't support that."

Henry laughs and bounces to the music more.

Emma curls her lip and takes a slow sip of coffee. "How are you so damn chipper after that cider?"

"She only gave me half a glass then promptly sent me to bed to sleep it off." He looks at Emma's pale face. "I see you didn't fare so well." She grunts in response so he continues, "Mom said you were drinking your emotions. What was that about?"

Emma clamps her eyes shut and sinks further into her seat. "She kept teasing me about being attracted to her."

"She know you like her?"

Emma shakes her head. "Hasn't said anything if she does. Just enjoying my roaming eyes."

"Gross." Henry shakes his whole body. "She has seemed to taken to people flirting with her now that they don't see her as the epitome of evil."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Great, so I'm no better than Whale with his unnecessary visits to the Mayor's office for impromptu hospital budget talks."

"You could always, you know, talk to her."

She turns her head and stares at him. "And say what exactly? Hey dear friend who I can't fathom losing, wanna date?"

Henry frowns. "Please don't say that. Surely you're better at this than… that."

Emma rolls her head back forward and points at the furniture store ahead. "I don't know, Henry. It's not worth the risk."

"That's one hell of a way to offend her. Maybe you just shouldn't say anything for a while." He pulls into the parking lot and grimaces as he looks at her. "At least not until you get over the half-gallon of cider you chugged."

Henry smiles when he sees David's truck pull in next to them. "Gramps is here."

Emma gives David a weak wave. "I didn't know you called him."

"I love you, Ma, but you're not shoving furniture in or on my new car." He clambers out of the car and shares a good hug with his grandfather.

Emma rolls out next and all but falls into her father's chest. "Hi, Dad." He smiles and clutches her. She pulls back and looks at the empty truck. "Where's Mom?"

"At home with Neal. He's not feeling well. Stayed up too late excited to see his big sister. Next time you have to at least stop in. We were surprised when Henry showed up alone."

Emma stands up straight and directs her attention to Henry. "Why didn't you tell me you were going?" He just shrugs. "Tryin' to make me look bad, kid?"

David puts his hand on her shoulder and directs her to the shop. "All is forgiven as long as you show up for lunch at Granny's." That has Emma sighing contentedly at the thought of a warm grilled cheese.

Running his hand over the hood of the Mercedes as they pass, David nods to Henry. "Nice car, Hen."

Henry bounces on his toes. "I love it. Mom got it for me just cause."

"Just cause she didn't want me to buy you one," Emma grouches.

David pats her shoulder. "Drives great."

Henry looks surprised. "She let you drive it?"

"Yep. Looks like I'm maintenance driver while you're away."

Emma glances over her shoulder at him. "That's kind of surprising."

"Oh, not really. She said she's glad to blame me if the car gets wrecked."

Emma and David laugh as Henry looks desperately back at his new toy.

Henry at the wheel and David with a full truck behind, Emma phones Regina. "Hey, Regina… Yes, we just about maxed out David's truck… I'm sure you'll hate all of it." She flashes Henry a smile when he chuckles. "Listen, we don't have time to stop at the house first, so come meet us at Granny's… Yeah, well, Henry and I want a family meal… Regina, you have 28 days a month to avoid my parents. Get your butt to Granny's… No, we didn't buy any clothes yet. Henry's too manly now to go clothes shopping with his mom. I'll go after lunch while I force our manly son to unload the truck. You can come with. It'll be fun." Emma scowls as she listens to Regina. "You're not a very nice person, Madame Mayor… Whatever. Just get to Granny's. We'll be there in a few. Bye." She hangs up the phone and turns to Henry. "Your mom's a jerk."

"Why?"

"She said she wouldn't be caught dead in the clothing stores I'm likely to frequent and cannot fathom standing by while someone willingly spends money there."

Henry laughs. "Sounds like mom."

"You sure you don't want to indulge your mother?"

He shakes his head. "Go with Gram."

"No."

"Ruby?"

"All sorts of no. Really want me dressing like that?"

He scrunches his face. "Belle?"

"You're useless," she says rolling her eyes.

He shrugs and pulls into Granny's. "You can always go alone."

Emma pouts.

"You wear like two things: jeans and tank tops. How long can it take you?"

Emma swats his arm. "Geez, that apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it?"

He steps out of the car and Emma follows suit. "I think that phrase implies biology."

"Biology has never stopped your mother before. Plus, she can be rather influential."

"She certainly seems to have an effect on you," Henry says with a smirk on his face.

Emma shakes her head and trudges to the entrance of the restaurant. "You two are going to drive me crazy this weekend."

Henry takes the door and holds it open for her. "If you make a move, I'll leave you alone."

"A move on what?" David asks, taking the door from Henry and following them in. They all wave to Mary Margaret and Neal who is bouncing up and down from excitement.

"Henry's trying to see how long it takes before I put him out of his misery." Emma gives him a warning look, and he mimes sealing his lips. She sees Regina pulling into the lot and moves back to the door. "Take a seat. Gonna see if Regina needs help."

Mary Margaret glances into the lot. "Why would she need help?"

Emma stops at the door and thinks of a good answer. That fails so she shrugs and trots out to Regina's car. She opens the door and waits for Regina to exit.

"Oh, Emma," Regina smiles genuinely at her as she stands. "I figured you were inside already."

"I was." She closes the door behind Regina.

"So why are you out here now?"

Thinking fails Emma again. "Just being polite?"

Regina studies her then wraps a hand around Emma's bicep. "Shall we?"

Emma smiles and leads Regina. "Go shopping with me, please."

Regina shakes her head. "Unless you plan on letting me dress you-"

"I could be okay with that."

With a low chuckle, Regina joins the family at the table. She kisses Henry on the cheek and Neal on the head before taking a seat.

"Everything alright?" Mary Margaret asks.

Regina looks up at her. "Yes, quite fine." She looks back down at her menu as if she doesn't know exactly what she wants to order anyways.

Emma slides in next to her dad, across from Regina. She nearly leaps out of her seat when she feels Regina lightly rubbing a foot up and down her calf. Ducking her head, she sees a slight smirk pulling at Regina's lips.

Henry shoots Emma a questioning look. She does her best to straighten up and ignore the sensation on her leg. She turns to Mary Margaret. "So, uh, Mom, want to go clothes shopping with me?"

Regina snorts and has to blow her nose in a napkin to cover it up.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bye, Mom," Emma waves from the doorway of the mansion, bags at her feet. She closes the door and kicks the bags down the hallway. "Hey, I'm back."

Regina meets her in the hallway. "How was it?"

Emma throws her head back. "Oh, god, it was like she was making up for the thirteen missed years of back to school shopping. No wonder Henry hates it so much."

They both smile at his laughter from the living room.

Regina scoops up Emma's bags and moves toward the stairs. Emma jogs forward to retrieve one of the bags and walks side-by-side with Regina. "So what did you two do while I was being tortured?"

"Henry's been playing some heinous video game while I pretend to watch."

Emma laughs. "They aren't that bad." Regina's displeased look has her laughing even more. "Alright, they're not great either."

"I told your father where to put all of the furniture, but feel free to move it around once I'm gone."

"Can't bear to watch me mess up your house, can you?"

Regina moves into Emma's new bedroom and drops the clothes on the bed. "It was hard enough watching the pieces pass through the doorway."

Emma locks eyes with Regina and with a deep breath drops her bag and closes the door. "What the hell, Regina?" Regina's eyes widen slightly but she doesn't make a sound, so Emma presses on. "What is this?"

"I thought I made my intent here pretty clear."

"What about the diner?"

Regina folds her hands in her lap. "Lunch was fine. Thank you for inviting me. Your little brother's crush on me is rather adorable."

Emma huffs, jealous of the attention Neal always receives. "He's gonna have to get over that, but stop deflecting. You know what I mean."

Regina puts her palms down on the bed and leans forward. "Why don't you tell me what you mean?"

Emma drops into the chair across from the bed.

"I hate that chair the most," Regina says flatly.

"That's why I bought it."

Regina waits for Emma to start, but all she does is stare at her. "Miss Swan-"

"Emma."

"Emma. You obviously have something on your mind."

Emma groans. "Why are you making this so hard?"

Regina looks over herself. "I'm merely sitting. Patiently, I might add."

"Well, thanks for sparing your time."

"You can always have my time, Emma."

Emma throws her hands out. "That! That right there. What is this? What are we?"

"Henry's mothers."

"To him, yes. What about between us?"

"I like to consider you a friend."

"Are we really not a bit beyond that?"

Regina considers for a moment. "We are a bit close. Sisters?"

Emma jerks violently. "Sisters do not play footsie!"

Regina raises her eyebrows. "Then why don't you tell me what you think we are."

Throwing an arm over her face, Emma slumps in the chair. Henry's going to make fun of her for this. "Are you attracted to me?"

With a slow graze of her eyes over Emma's body, Regina responds, "Your physique is pleasing to the eye."

"You sure know how to woo the girls."

"You're fairing no better, dear."

Emma huffs and straightens up in the chair, clenching the arm rests. "You put your gorgeous hands all over me-"

"All over you?"

"That's what it feels like!"

Regina rests her chin on her hand. "Go on."

"You flirt and tease me about my very blatant attraction to you." Regina just nods, which frustrates Emma even more. "And I have no clue what's going through your head aside from let me see how I can mess with Emma today."

Regina sits up. "That is not what goes through my head."

Emma leans forward. "Then what does?"

Footsteps in the hallway catch their attention. "Another time," Regina says softly and pecks Emma on the forehead as she opens the bedroom door.

Henry peeks in at Emma sitting in the chair with her head in her hand. "Did you break her?"

"Nearly," Regina tries to joke but it comes out weakly.

"Ma?"

Emma takes a deep breath and drops her hand in order to smile at Henry. "Need something, kid?"

Henry shakes his head furiously. "I'm sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting. I just figured you were putting clothes away."

He looks like he's about to panic, so Regina squeezes his hands. "Henry, everything is fine. What did you come up here for?"

"I- I just wanted to show you how to play Hillbilly Rummy. It's a game I learned at school."

Emma smiles. "That sounds great, kid."

He stares at her apologetically until Regina tugs lightly on his arm. "Come teach me the rules while your mom freshens up."

He mouths an apology and follows his other mother. "Great timing," Emma mumbles to herself as she lumbers out of the chair.

Later at the dining room table, each with a glass of cider and an empty plate of apple turnover, Emma fiddles with the last card in her hand. She pops her feet up on the table, earning a scowl from Regina, and drops an 8 on the discard pile.

"I'm out," she declares triumphantly and takes a swig of her latest glass of cider. Regina's sure to make another comment about drinking her emotions at this rate.

Regina slaps the table. "Rummy on the table." Then she slaps Emma's feet. "And feet off the table."

Emma sits up straight and her eyes dart across the piles of cards. "Where?"

Henry moves the 8 to join a trio. "She's right. You're a floater."

With a huff, Emma plops back against her chair. "I hate floating."

"Don't worry, dear," Regina says as she drops her last card on the discard pile, "You don't have to fret about drawing a 2 this time because I really am out."

Henry and Emma scan over the cards looking for a mistake and are disappointed to see she's right. "How do you always win?" Henry drawls. "I'm never teaching you a new game again."

Regina smiles and checks the time. "We've been playing for hours, and you've already had a full glass of cider, Henry. Why don't you call it a night?"

"Come on, Mom," he begs. "It's not that late."

"Henry, it's midnight. It really is that late."

"But we're leaving tomorrow. Don't you want to spend time with us?"

Regina rolls her eyes at his pout. "Yes, which is why I want you going to sleep so you can wake up early enough to eat breakfast with me."

Henry makes a grand gesture of sighing and shoving the cards back in the box.

Emma laughs at him. "Don't worry, kid. You'll survive."

"Thanks for the backup, Ma."

Emma shrugs. "She's not making me go to sleep."

"We'll see about that," Regina says while clearing the table of dishes. "You've already had enough cider for a small army."

"I have a high tolerance."

Henry and Regina let out an identical laugh that clearly tells Emma she's wrong on that account. She narrows her eyes at them and sips her drink defiantly.

After Henry finally lumbers off to bed with every possible complaint spilling from his lips, Regina finds Emma plopped down on the couch, her glass full once again. She sighs and sits at the other end of the couch.

Emma shifts to drop her head in Regina's lap. "You smell nice."

"Thank you," Regina responds as she drapes her arm over Emma. She watches Emma draw random shapes on her thigh over her skirt. "Why have you been drinking so much?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

"I would appreciate it if you would refrain."

Emma's hand stops momentarily then continues again but she starts applying pressure and moving north. "Why does it bother you?"

Regina rubs at her temple then pats Emma's arm. "I need to change." She removes Emma's head from her lap and heads upstairs.

After letting her head just rest in the fleeting warmth from Regina's position, Emma pulls herself up and takes a large swig of cider. "I do not drink too much," she declares to herself with yet another sip. She lays back out across the couch and waits, her eyes fluttering shut in her drunken state.

She hears Regina coming back to the room. "Come watch a movie with me," Emma begs, her head rolled back on the arm rest to see Regina in the entryway now clad in silk pajamas.

"It's too late for a movie, Emma."

"Then come cuddle with me again anyways."

Regina clasps her hands in front of her. "I don't think that is wise."

Emma sits up and turns to her. "Why not?"

"You've had an awful lot to drink, Miss Swan."

"Emma," she bites back.

"I think it's best we both get some rest. I can show you to your room if you like."

"What about your room? I'm not tired." Emma winks.

Regina grits her teeth. "This is why I don't like when you drink so much. Hold your tongue, and go to sleep." Before Emma can respond, she adds "In your own room."

Emma rolls off the couch and moves toward Regina. She puts her arms around Regina's waist and pulls her close. "Come on, Regina. We can finish our conversation at least."

"No. Let go." When Emma doesn't release her grip, Regina shoves her hard in the chest, knocking the already stumbling Emma back easily. "You do not get to touch me right now."

Emma pouts and tries to reach out for Regina again, but Regina storms up the steps. "Goodnight, Miss Swan."

"It's Emma!"

"Not tonight."

Emma moves quickly down the hallway and reaches for Regina's door but stops when she hears the lock engage. She stares at her hand and recoils it quickly. "Shit," she mumbles to herself, stepping away from the door. "What am I doing?" She hurriedly rushes to her own room and shuts the door behind her. She leans heavily on the door and slumps down to the ground. "You're such an idiot, Swan!"

"I agree," Regina shouts from her own room.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma stirs at a knock on her door. Grabbing a pillow, she covers her head to drown out the sound. When she hears the door open, however, she releases a groan. "What?" she mumbles to the intruder.

"Ma," Henry says gently.

"No." She pulls the pillow down tighter.

"Let's go eat breakfast."

Eyes still shut, Emma throws the pillow to the side and rolls over on her back. "I can't face your mother."

"And why is that, dear?" Regina asks from the hallway.

Emma's eye shoot open, and she sits up straight, suddenly sober. "Regina. I- I didn't expect you to want to see me."

Henry glares at Emma. "Why? What did you do to her?"

"Whoa, easy," Emma puts up her hands defensively. "I wasn't nice, but I didn't hurt her or anything."

Henry looks back at Regina waiting for confirmation. When she nods, he eases, but only slightly.

"Had a little too much to drink, I guess," Emma confesses.

"Then maybe you should lay off for a bit, Ma. Today's our last day. Get out of bed and brush your teeth so we can get breakfast as a family." He storms down the hallway.

Emma drops her head in her hands with a groan. "I'm sorry."

Regina leans in the doorway. "The least you can do is look at me if you want to apologize."

Sitting up straight, Emma stares into Regina's chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry. Really. I shouldn't have drank so much, and that's not even an excuse because I should have controlled myself. I just… I don't know. This is kinda hard."

Regina slides into the room and goes to sit in the chair but grimaces and moves to the end of the bed. "What is so hard?"

Emma rolls her eyes and shimmies to the headboard to rest with the pillow in her lap. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Emma, I am getting extremely tired of your run around. You have not given me a straight answer all weekend, yet you've been acting tormented about us. Can you please, for once, be honest and open?"

Emma drops her head back against the headboard and takes a deep breath. She captures Regina's gaze again and starts, "Look, I-"

"Starving young adult! Let's go!" Henry yells from downstairs.

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills!" Emma shouts back. "I am going to ground you inevitably!"

"As long as there's food, that's fine. I'm driving. Come on."

Regina sighs and pats Emma's knee. "We can talk more later."

"It always feel like later," Emma complains.

Regina stands and straightens her clothes. "If you just start being more forthcoming, we won't have to worry about waiting for his interruption."

"Keep your logic to yourself."

With a small smile, Regina leaves Emma to get dressed.

Breakfast went smoothly. Henry got over his anger towards Emma's mishaps from the night before though he was refused any details. Unfortunately for Emma, Regina did not play footsie with her and mostly kept her hands to herself. They talked about everything aside from the upcoming departure and made the decision to visit the Charmings one last time after breakfast.

Mary Margaret and David purchased a nice three bedroom house just before Henry and Emma left for college. Although difficult, Emma managed to hide her jealousy of Neal being raised in an actual house with his actual parents. In her mind that kid didn't know how good he had it.

At the Charming doorstep, Emma knocks on the door and waits. She sees Neal's head poke out of the window and hears his squeal followed by thundering footsteps. Amazing how loud that kid could be.

"Regina!" he yells as he swings the door open wide and leaps past his sister into Regina's open arms.

"Hello, young prince," she says, kissing the top of his head.

"Wow, nice to see you too, little man." Emma sasses before stepping in the house. "Mom, Dad, it's us."

"In the kitchen," Mary Margaret calls.

Emma and Henry lead the way into the kitchen while Regina walks hand-in-hand with Neal straight to the play room. Emma glances back and rolls her eyes at his grin.

Henry bumps her arm. "Boy's got better game than you do."

"Oh, shut up," Emma says, shoving him playfully.

Mary Margaret smiles when she sees them round the corner. "Emma, I'm so glad to see you here. We were worried you wouldn't come say goodbye."

"What am I, the bad seed?" Emma complains though she takes her mother's hug willingly.

David enters the kitchen and kisses the top of her forehead before ruffling Henry's hair. "You know you'll always be our favorite daughter."

"Only cause Neal's a boy."

They simply chuckle at her petulance and gesture for them to take a seat. "Cocoa with cinnamon for the Swans?" Mary Margaret offers. They both nod eagerly.

Emma looks over her shoulder at the playroom. Regina notices her and smiles while bouncing small figurines back and forth in her hands. Every time she receives one of those smiles, Emma can feel her entire body warm and relax. She returns the smile and just continues watching, even as Neal regains Regina's attention.

"Cocoa, Em," Mary Margaret says as she slides the cup in front of Emma. She follows Emma's gaze to Regina and furrows her brow, glancing up at David who just shrugs. When she glances at Henry, he quickly directs his attention to the cup in his hands. "Emma?"

Emma snaps her head around. "Yeah?"

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" She takes a big sip of her cocoa and moans happily.

Mary Margaret sidles up next to David who puts an arm around her. "Is there something going on with you and Regina?"

Her eyes bulge. "What? No. Why?"

"Emma, sweetie, you can be honest with us."

Emma narrows her eyes and turns to Henry. He shakes his head quickly and leans away from her. She looks back at her parents. "Mom, there is nothing going on. And if there was, I'm not entirely sure it would be any of your business."

"You're our daughter. Why would that not be our business? Are we not allowed to be privy to your relationships?"

"There's no relationship!" Emma responds far too forcefully.

Regina moves into the kitchen quickly with Neal at her side. "Is everything alright?"

All eyes move to Emma who just hunkers down with her cocoa near her face. "It's fine." No one takes their eyes off of her. "I said it's fine. I'm fine." She sits up and puts her cocoa down. "I need to go for a walk. I'm sorry. I'll see you guys next month." She gathers herself and hugs her parents and Neal before leaving the house.

Regina watches her go from the front door. When she turns back, Mary Margaret is watching her.

"What's going on with her?" Mary Margaret asks.

Regina shakes her head. "I'm not completely certain. She has not been very open this weekend, but there is certainly something occupying her mind."

"What did you do to her?"

Regina glares at her. "Excuse me? What makes you think any of this is my fault?"

"Isn't it?"

"Absolutely not. Your daughter is more than capable of managing her own feelings. If she falters at that, I am not to blame. Perhaps you can blame that on her lack of parental figures while growing up." Regina turns on her heel and marches out of the house.

Henry jogs to the front door and throws up his hands. "I guess I'll just take care of myself then."

Mary Margaret squeezes him into a side hug. "Stay for a bit longer then you can meet them at home to get packed."

**

Regina breathes a sigh of relief when she finally finds Emma down by the water sitting on a bench. She slides in next to her.

"You didn't have to follow me," Emma grumbles with a bit of angst in her voice.

"It wasn't intentional. That idiot mother of yours accused me of causing your problems."

Emma glances at Regina's scowl and chuckles lightly. "You've always been the best scapegoat."

"Yes, well, I would have thought we could have moved past that sometime during the last decade."

"Old habits die hard."

Regina merely hums her response and stares out at the water. "I imagine Henry will not be interrupting us here."

Emma nods her head. She glances to see that Regina is waiting for her to start. Glancing back down at her hands, she starts, "You mean a lot to me."

"As do you to me," Regina assures her.

Emma laughs derisively to herself. "I don't think we feel the same way, Regina."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's just a stupid infatuation, and I'll get over it."

"It doesn't have to be just that."

"Well, it is," Emma snaps.

Regina leans away from Emma and clears her throat. "Fine. Then I suggest you get over it. I'm glad you finally decided to be open and honest with me." Regina shakes her head and stands. She glances down at Emma and waits, but Emma doesn't move so Regina just huffs and walks off.

"That's just swell," Emma hisses to herself and smacks the bench with an open palm.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina waits for Emma and Henry to come out of the ticket line ready for security, the farthest point she can go. The car ride over was mostly silent, but Regina's determined to end on a good note with her son. She smiles when he moves toward her.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Mom," he says when he notices the sad expression on her face.

She smiles. "I know, honey. But as you like to remind me, you'll be back soon."

"Or…" Henry grins hopefully. "You can come visit us."

"Henry, you know that's not feasible."

"Why not?" Emma asks, joining them.

Regina doesn't bother looking at her. "There is too much to be done here."

"I'll get you out one day, Mom. Just you wait. Storybrooke can survive without a mayor for a week."

"A week?" Regina asks incredulously.

"End. A weekend." Henry tries to cover up his mistake.

She eyes him suspiciously. "Perhaps," she says slowly. "Now you two have a plane to catch, and I don't want you being late."

Henry accepts her hug warmly. Pulling back, he looks at Emma and sees the hopeful expression on her face. "I'm gonna get a jump on security. See you in a few, Ma. Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Henry. Be safe, and don't bother listening to your mother."

Henry laughs when Emma scoffs.

Emma waits for Regina to turn her attention to her, but Regina just keeps watching Henry. "Regina." She slowly turns her head. "Hey." Regina crosses her arms and stares at Emma, waiting. Emma shifts uncomfortably. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You know…"

"No, I really don't know." Regina's expression is quickly turning to ice.

Emma clears her throat. "For being rude all weekend and kind of weird."

"That's an understatement."

Emma scratches the back of her head. "Listen, I just- I don't know, Regina. I don't know what to think."

"Well, when you figure it out, let me know." Regina turns on her heel to walk away.

Emma trots after her and lightly touches her arm. "No goodbye hug or anything?"

Regina looks Emma up and down, disdain evident in her features. "Not likely." She storms off.

Running her hand down her face, Emma moves back to the security line and meets up with Henry.

"That looked bad," Henry offers.

"It was."

"You failed, FYI."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I noticed. Now she's just pissed at me."

Henry smiles. "You know, next month is Spring Break."

"Cool."

"Yeah, so I'm thinking maybe Mom can come down."

Emma shakes her head. "I don't find that very likely, Henry. You heard her."

Henry waves her off as he puts his bag on the conveyor and moves through the metal detector. "That was all out of spite. She'll come if I beg her."

They gather their belongings at the end of the conveyor. "Henry, we have a two bedroom apartment. Where is she going to stay for a week?"

"Your room," he winks.

"You saw the part where she murdered me with her eyes, right?"

"Which means you hurt her."

"Exactly."

"No, Ma, you don't get it. If you hurt her by being a jackass and turning her down, then that means she cares about you."

Emma shakes her head. "I really don't think that's it."

Henry rolls his eyes and leads them to the terminal. "Okay wise one, then why would she be so upset?"

"Cause I'm an ass and would have offended a dog today."

They both plop down in the uncomfortable chairs and drop their bags between their feet. Henry looks at her. "Ma, you've got some serious reflecting to do because we're about to hit Operation Swan-Mills."

Emma raises her eyebrow. "What the hell is that?"

"I think it's about time to add two more Swan-Mills to the family, don't you?"

Emma laughs. "Yeah, right, kid. Your mom would hardly even look at me. I don't think there are wedding bells in our future."

Henry smirks and sits back. "We'll see about that."

**

No matter how hard she tries, Emma can't seem to sleep on the plane ride. It'll be late by the time they land at the airport in Atlanta, and it'd be nice to have a bit of rest before that struggle.

Henry's busy scribbling in one of his writing journals next to her. She looks over at him and peers at the journal but he senses her and tugs it away. "What you doin', kid?"

"Nothing of your concern, mother."

"Wow, mother. That's fresh."

He smirks and leans further away to keep writing.

"Are you planning Operation Swan-Mills?"

He stops writing. "Maybe."

"Seriously, Henry?" She snatches the notebook from him but before she can take a peek he clamps it shut on her fingers. She yelps and lets go.

"No. Peeking. Ma." He gives her a stern look until she throws up her hands. "I have a plan, whether you like it or not. I'm not just gonna sit by while you throw your life away. What if this is true love?"

Emma laughs loudly. "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. I don't think it's true love."

"Why not?" He stares at her.

"Well-uh… I don't know. It's just unlikely."

"Why? What's so unlikely about it?"

Emma looks between his eyes and sees how sincere he is. "It's just that true love should be a two-way street. I'm feeling all sorts of one-way here."

Henry shakes his head. "No, that's not true. I've seen the way Mom looks at you. Even if she's not in love with you right now, she certainly loves you, and let's be honest, that's a pretty short list."

Emma shrugs. "Just another point to suggest I love her more than she loves me. Doesn't bode well for me."

"Falling in love is a process, Ma. Give her the chance to fall in love with you."

Emma shakes her head. "Sorry, Henry, but she doesn't want anything to do with that."

Henry groans and slams his journal down in his lap. "You are so thick-headed. And blind. And stupid."

"Anything else you want to add to that list?"

"And oblivious to my mother's advances apparently."

Emma straightens up. "Advances? Are we witnessing different interactions?"

"Well, I don't know what the hell you're witnessing, but from where I've been standing, she has the hots for you too."

Emma studies him then sighs and shakes her head. "It's not cool trying to give me false hope."

Henry throws up his hands then opens his journal to start writing again, shaking his head slowly. "Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn."

"You're no better," she mumbles and crosses her arms.

After a short bout of silence, Henry turns to Emma again. "Please promise me one thing."

She lets her arms fall to the arm rests. "What is it?"

"If my plan works, which it will, give her a chance."

"Of course."

"No. You don't get to say of course like it's the easiest thing on the planet. I saw her trying and you throwing up walls. Stop being so defensive and let her know how you feel while giving her a chance to feel something for you too."

Emma rolls her eyes. "You live in your own fantasy world, kid."

"Ma."

"Fine. Yes. I'll do my best."

"I'm holding you to that," Henry says, eyeing her while he slowly starts writing again.

She glances at him and nods before closing her eyes. Even if sleep doesn't come to her, maybe she can avoid this conversation continuing.


	7. Chapter 7

The Swan household is quiet, Emma sitting on the couch watching a show while eating take out. Henry's out with his once again girlfriend, and Emma tries to enjoy the solitude while she can. It's been two weeks, but the picture on the mantle of her with Henry and Regina is taunting her, so she gets up and lays it flat on its face.

The door swings open loudly, nearly causing Emma to drop her food. Henry bustles through the door with his phone plastered to his ear.

"Hey, just hold on one second. Okay?" Henry shoves the phone in Emma's hand. "It's for you." He walks off quickly without another word.

Emma slowly lifts the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Emma?"

She freezes at the sound of Regina's voice on the other end of the phone. That's a voice that she used to hear a few times a week over the phone and hasn't heard since she stormed away at the airport.

"Emma."

Emma winces at the aggravation in her tone. "Yes, hi, sorry. I just wasn't expecting you."

"Oh, and who were you expecting?"

"No one. Henry just shoved the phone in my hand."

"Well, if I'm bothering you, I can just hang up."

"No, no, no. Not at all." The line goes quiet for a moment. "Well, hi. How are you?"

"This isn't a social call, Miss Swan."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Can you cut the Miss Swan crap already? I know I pissed you off. I was jerk. I get it, but I'm not letting you throw away nine years of friendship and whatever else over it."

"I'm not trying to throw anything away, Emma. You're doing perfectly fine with that on your own. Is there a particular reason you have not spoken to me in two weeks?"

Emma winces at the bite in Regina's response. "Phone's work both ways, you know." Silence. "You didn't really give me the impression you wanted to talk."

"Maybe you should stop making so many assumptions about what I want and start asking me."

"Okay, fine. What do you want?"

Regina sighs irritably. "I want to know if you're coming back at the end of the month."

"Henry says it's Spring Break."

"I am aware. That doesn't change my question."

"Well, I can't just take a week off this soon after Christmas."

"I'm not asking you to take a week off, Emma. I'm asking if you are coming for the weekend like normal."

"I don't know if it's such a good idea for me to come back."

Henry comes out of his room and sends a piercing glare at Emma. She narrows her eyes at him realizing he must have been listening.

"Why is that?"

Emma throws up her hands. "Are you kidding? You hate me right now."

"Emma, I am going to ask you only once to stop telling me how I feel and stop assuming you know how I feel when you refuse to speak with me openly about it. I am making plans for Henry's break, and I need to know if you are coming or not to buy you a ticket.

"You don't have to buy my ticket."

"That was deal. You go to Atlanta, and I make sure you both get to come back. We've been doing this for eight months. Why would it suddenly change?"

Emma grits her teeth. "Just offering you an out."

"Call me by tomorrow with your firm answer. Now, I would like to say good night to my son, so if you please…"

"Regina, listen-"

"I have been listening. You haven't been speaking. Put Henry on the phone, or I will hang up and simply call him back later."

Emma sighs. "Fine." She holds the phone out to Henry. "She's done with me."

Henry stomps over and yanks the phone from her hand. "I'm about done with both of you." He stomps back to his room. "Hey, Mom… Yeah, she's a pain right now." He looks over his shoulder and glares at her before shutting his bedroom door.

Releasing an unnecessarily loud groan, Emma throws up her hands and collapses down on the couch.

**

Emma jolts awake to an angry Henry standing over her. "Jesus, Henry. You scared the crap out of me."

"You deserved it."

She sits up and slides back away from him. "What's gotten under your skin?"

"You. And her. But mostly you."

"What? Why?"

Henry just stares at her for a moment. "You promised me."

"Promised you what?"

He puts his hands on his hips. "I'm glad to see how much promises mean to you."

Emma stands up. "Hey, Henry, come on. What's the deal?"

"You promised to give her a chance. Do you have any idea how upset you've been making her?"

"Starting to get an inkling."

"No, I really don't think you are. Cause if you were, you'd be doing something about it. Come on, Savior." He hisses that last word, and it has Emma wincing. "Why haven't you called her back?"

"She said to call her tomorrow."

"And you listened?"

Emma throws up her hands. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to get your head out of your ass and do something about your screw up."

"Hey, she isn't completely innocent in all of this." Emma matches Henry's stance with hands on her hips.

"She never is! Get over it and fix it because that's what you do."

"You know what," Emma says, dropping her hands. "I'm done with this." She turns and heads toward her bedroom.

Henry's voice is suddenly weak. "Why doesn't this family matter enough to you?"

Emma spins back around with her mouth open. "What? Why would you say that? Henry, you mean everything to me."

He pulls back from her outstretched hand. "Obviously not enough for you to do anything about. You're just pulling further and further away from her. She's not going to wait around forever."

Rubbing at her temples, Emma sighs. "It's just not that simple, Henry. I love your mom. You know that. She probably knows that."

"Have you told her that?"

"No."

His arms drop. "Why not?"

Emma shrugs. "Because what if she doesn't love me back?"

"Is it really not worth the risk? And if she doesn't, do you think she's going to kick you out or something, stop inviting you home? You're still my mom, and that has to mean something to her."

With a heavy sigh, Emma drops back down on the couch. "Is this all part of your plan? Operation Swan-Mills?"

Henry shakes his head. "I keep having to rewrite my plan every time you either don't or do speak to her, so if you could behave, that would be really helpful."

She lets her head slam back on the cushion. "Just tell me what to do, Henry."

"Call her."

Emma looks at the clock. It's just past 10pm. "Now?"

"Yes."

"It's kind of late."

Henry cocks his head in irritation. "Since when does Mom go to bed by 10? Stop being a baby."

"Fine. Go get my phone."

Henry smiles and runs into the kitchen to retrieve Emma's cell phone. He hands it to her and stands over her expectantly.

"Not with you standing there, kid. Go on." She shoos him away. He scowls and turns to trudge back to his room. "And no eavesdropping."

"No promises," he shouts back as he closes his door.

Emma stares at the phone, hovering over Regina's contact. Her thumb moves up and down, just barely avoiding tapping the call icon.

"Just call her already," Henry shouts again.

"Oh, shut up," she shouts back and moves to her bedroom. She finally gets up the courage and presses the icon firmly. She lifts the phone and listens to the rings that seem to last forever.

"It's a little past conventional call time, don't you think, Emma?"

Emma sighs in relief at Regina's voice. "Henry said you'd still be awake."

"Yes, it appears I am."

"Can you talk?"

"If I couldn't, I would not have answered."

Emma drops down on her bed. "Right. Are you sure you really want me to come out next weekend?"

"In the near decade we have spent together, Emma, is there any point I asked you to join me in something when I did not want you there?"

"Begrudgingly, perhaps."

"Well, that is not the case now. I would like you to come home as is customary."

"Okay. I will. And I think we need to talk."

"We are talking."

"No, I mean when I get there."

The other end of the phone is silent for a few moments. "Is there any reason you want to wait nearly two more weeks to have this conversation when we could do it right now?"

"It is late."

"That's a terrible excuse."

Emma takes her pillow and presses it down on her face to muffle her groan. "Regina, I simply don't know what to say to you."

"You've had two weeks of not speaking to me, and in that entire time you didn't come up with a single thing to say?"

"No?" Emma responds weakly.

"I cannot make this work for both of us, Emma. You have to meet me halfway."

"At what point are you halfway? You haven't given me any clue as to how you feel. What am I supposed to think? For all I know, you're just waiting for me to make a fool of myself so you can mock me as you so deeply enjoy." Emma doesn't realize how harsh her tone is quickly turning until she can practically hear Regina's gritting teeth.

"I'm sorry to hear you think so poorly of me. Perhaps you should spend these next two weeks getting your thoughts together and deciding what you want because, Emma, my patience is growing thin. Unless it is a matter of importance, I see no reason for you to call me until you are about to board a plane to come home. Have a good night."

"Regina, wait, please."

"I have been waiting, Emma. I have given you time and space. Now it's time for you to give that to me. Good night."

The phone clicks. Emma pulls it away to see the Call Ended message flashing before her phone returns to a picture of Henry and Regina. She throws the phone at the door, but the door quickly swings open and the phone hits Henry instead.

"Ow, what the heck, Ma?" Henry fusses as he rubs his shoulder.

Emma stares up at the ceiling. "What on earth do you want now?"

"I just wanted to know how it went."

"Terrible, Henry. It went terrible. I'm an idiot. Your other mom is an idiot. We suck. I love her. She hates me-"

"She doesn't hate you, and you know it."

"It doesn't matter."

Henry marches into the room and stands over her. "Stop saying that. You're talking about my mom, remember that please. I shouldn't have to defend her so much, not to you." Henry shrinks back and goes to exit the room. He stops in the doorway with his hand on the handle. "Please start thinking about me in all of this too."

"Henry, wait." She sits up in time to see him closing the door. She gets up and tries to catch him, but by the time she gets to his door, she finds it locked. She knocks, but he quickly drowns out the sound with his music.


	8. Chapter 8

Mid-afternoon on the first Saturday of Henry's Spring Break, Emma paces the living room. The TV on mute, her laptop turned on, a book open but lying face down, and her phone twirling in her hand.

"This is stupid," she says as she phones Henry. "Hey, kid. It's Saturday and finally nice outside. I've been here all day. I'm going out."

"Ma, no. You said you would wait."

"Why do I have to wait?"

"My package will be there soon. You have to be there for it."

Emma groans. "So why aren't you here? It's your package."

"Because it's my break, and you're my mother who loves me dearly and would do anything for me. Now stay put."

Emma sticks her lip out in a pout and falls on the couch. "You owe me."

"Don't worry. You'll like my package."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Cause it's for you too."

Emma smiles. "Well that's something at least."

"Okay, I gotta go. Order yourself a pizza or something."

"I don't want a pizza. I want to go outside, but I'm trapped by my evil son."

Henry chuckles. "Bye, Ma. I love you."

"I don't believe you," she responds petulantly as she hangs up. She looks around the room. "This is still stupid."

An hour later, Emma is laying upside down on the couch, a Twizzler hanging out of her mouth, holding her laptop above her head as she watches a show.

A knock sounds at her door.

"Finally," she grumbles as she rolls off the couch setting down her computer but leaving the candy hanging from her lips. As she opens the door, she says, "I was starting to think you weren't coming." Her eyes go wide at the sight before her.

"Were you expecting me, dear?" Regina asks with a suit case at her side.

Emma chucks the candy on the kitchen counter and leans out the door to look down the hallway.

"He's not here, Emma. We got on the elevator, and he jumped out just as it closed."

"Sneaky little boy," Emma narrows her eyes at the thought and finally turns her attention to Regina. "What are you doing here?"

Regina looks about as irritated as possible. "I was planning on asking to come in, but if you insist on the hallway then that's fine."

"Sorry, yes, come in," Emma says as she moves out of the way, holding the door for Regina. "Here, let me take your bag." She takes the suit case from Regina and sets it along the wall.

Regina looks around the apartment.

"Not much, I know," Emma says sheepishly.

"I was going to say it's lovely. I can see why Henry likes it."

"So, uh, when'd you get here?"

Regina gestures to herself still clad in her coat. "Just now."

"Right." Emma shakes her head and takes Regina's coat to hang on the coat tree. "How'd he get you out here?"

Regina moves to the kitchen and takes a seat on a barstool, crossing her legs. She spends very little time actually looking at Emma. "He informed me of his newest operation."

Emma swallows thickly. "How much of that did he inform you?"

"Just that I need to be here for it. He didn't spill any of your secrets if that's your concern."

Emma enters the kitchen and leans on the counter across from Regina. "Nope. No concerns here."

Regina looks at her nails then sighs and looks at Emma finally. "Are we going to simply sit here all day, dear?"

"Go on a date with me."

"What?"

Emma stands up straight, suddenly more confident. "Go on a date with me. We can go get lunch."

"It's too late for lunch."

"Okay, dinner."

"It's too early for dinner, and I'd like to eat with our son."

Emma sighs. "Then linner. Stop making excuses and come out with me."

Regina purses her lips. "Why?"

"Because I want you to."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I'm going to need more than that, dear."

After dropping her head to take a breath, Emma moves quickly around the counter to stand directly in front of Regina. "I know you want to go out with me too."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because you wouldn't be here otherwise. You'd be at some fancy hotel ignoring my ass for as long as possible. You told me to start making decisions, well this is my decision. Come out with me. We'll go right now."

Regina studies Emma's face then nods slightly. "Fine, but I'm not hungry. I know it's hard for you to think much beyond food, but I'm asking that you try to be a bit more creative for this… date."

With a broad smile, Emma puts out her hand to Regina for her to stand.

Regina raises her eyebrow and tries to hide a pleased smirk when Emma kisses her hand before leading her from the apartment.

With her hands behind her back, Regina walks slowly around a statue in the High Museum of Art. Emma smiles watching Regina study the figure before her.

"We can take Henry to the aquarium tomorrow."

Regina stops and looks at Emma. "He's 19 years old."

"And?"

Regina laughs and moves on to the next exhibit. "These are very unique."

Emma moves to stand close to Regina, relieved when she doesn't pull away. "The exhibits rotate. You can find new things every season. We missed the Transforming Fashion segment."

"Hmm, that's a shame. I haven't been to an art museum in a long time."

"Is this better than food?"

Regina smiles at her. "Much." She runs her hand down Emma's arm.

As her phone rings, Emma groans and has to pull away from Regina's touch slightly to retrieve the device. "Swan," she says without looking at the caller ID. "Oh, the devil himself. How are you, kid?"

"Tell him I say hi," Regina whispers.

"Your mom says she's mad at you." Emma laughs when Regina glares at her. "We're at the museum. Hey, do you want to go to the aquarium tomorrow?" Emma smiles and turns to Regina. "I told you so."

Regina rolls her eyes and walks away from Emma, leaving her to speak with Henry.

Emma leans against the wall and watches Regina. "I haven't messed up, kid. I was a little worried in the apartment, but it seems to be going well right now… Yeah, that worries me too," Emma responds with a chuckle. "Meet us for dinner… Oh we are so going to The Vortex. She's gonna shoot us when we eat those heart attack burgers." Emma smiles as she listens to Henry.

Regina looks over her shoulder and gives Emma that same sweet smile which always warms her heart.

"Wait, what? I stopped listening to you… I'm sorry, your mother is very distracting… God, kid, not like that. We're in public… Anyways, yeah meet us there in an hour… I love you too. See you soon." Emma ends the call and quickly moves back to Regina.

Regina turns to her when Emma lightly takes her arm. "Everything okay?"

"Your son and date are starting to starve to death."

Regina raises her eyebrows. "Oh my. That sounds dire."

"Completely. Told him we'd meet him in an hour. That gives us about thirty minutes or so to roam." Emma pulls out the map of exhibits from her back pocket. "Figure out what you really want to see then we'll head out."

Regina takes the map and leads the way.

At the restaurant, Emma and Henry watch as Regina looks over the menu in utter disgust.

"Why are we here?" she asks with contempt.

Henry laughs at her expression and Emma smiles. "It's really good, Mom."

"That is not even feasible, Henry. Some of these foods are named after severe medical conditions."

Emma leans forward. "And they are delicious."

Regina hums her disbelief and slowly drops the menu. "At least they have what appears to be a reasonable salad on the menu. Hopefully the chef can avoid pouring grease into it from your burgers." She turns her attention. "If you were any younger, you know you wouldn't be here, correct?"

"Let the kid live a little," Emma chimes in.

"That's my goal. You may want to take your own advice next time you choose where to dine." She looks around at the unique walls and architecture. "If that's what you can call it."

"It's artistic, Mom," Henry says. "You're in Little Five."

"Little Five what?"

"Little Five Points. It's like an art haven of Atlanta. Cool, huh?"

Regina clears her throat and lays her napkin neatly in her lap. "Sure, dear."

Emma and Henry laugh.

Through the meal, Regina can barely eat with how grossed out she is by Henry and Emma devouring their burgers. By the end, she's shielding her eyes from them with her head down to focus on her salad.

Henry's phone chimes and after reading it, he perks up. "Hey, there's a concert right around the corner, and my friend just got free tickets. Mind if I go?"

Emma and Regina look at each other. Regina nods and Emma shrugs. "Have at it, kid," Emma barely gets out before he bursts out the door. "Looks like it's just us," Emma says finally pushing back from her plate.

"Looks like it," Regina agrees.

"Want to go back to the apartment or hang around?"

"Will Henry be alright by himself?"

"Oh yeah. That kid's resilient. He's got money for a cab if he needs it."

Regina watches her. "You're certain?"

Emma leans forward and lays a hand over Regina's. "Yes, Regina. He will be fine. This is nothing new."

Regina nods slowly. "Alright. Let's return to the apartment. Your date has been lovely so let's try not to let you ruin it."

"Ruin it? How would I ruin it?"

"I'm certain you could find a way," Regina says barely concealing her smirk.

Holding her hand out for Regina to stand, Emma pretends to huff in frustration. "Maybe you'll be the one to ruin it."

"Oh, I hardly think that's a concern."

Emma rolls her eyes and leads Regina from the restaurant.

Back at the apartment, Emma hands Regina a glass of wine as she sits on the couch. "I'm glad you're here. Think the town will survive without you?"

Regina sighs. "Not in the slightest; however, Henry was persistent."

"I hope it's worth it."

Regina turns and looks at Emma. "We'll see. Are you ready to talk?"

Emma is a bit taken aback at the abruptness. "Ready to ruin that good date already?" She tries to joke, but Regina doesn't smile.

"I'd say the date's over. I'd like to talk."

"About?" Regina glares at her harshly causing Emma to grimace and shrink back. "Just kidding. Yeah, sure, let's talk. Let me just get a beer."

"No."

"Why not?" Emma says, half standing from the couch.

"I want you sober. I'm tired of your drunken conversations."

Emma stands up completely and shrugs her off. "It's just a beer, Regina."

"Emma Swan, I am asking you not to drink it." When Emma turns to look at her, she adds, "Please."

Sighing, Emma nods and sits down. "Alright, who starts?"

Regina raises an eyebrow. "Who do you think?"

Emma shifts a bit. "Regina, I've been thinking-"

"That sounds dangerous."

"Regina."

Regina smiles. "Go on, go on."

She clears her throat to begin again. "I've been thinking about us, and I like the idea of an us, and I'm wondering if you like that idea too."

Regina watches the wine swirl around her glass. "I'm not sure."

Emma instantly deflates. "That's really not the answer I was hoping for."

"Well, what do you expect Emma? You expect me to come here after everything you've said to me and how you ignored me for weeks and suddenly just give into your every whim?"

Emma shrugs. "Kind of."

"Then you were wrong. I enjoyed our date, yes, but a date is not a promise or a guarantee. You're going to have to do a lot more than take me to a museum and a god-awful restaurant to convince me you aren't going to turn around and be a jerk at the next sign of trouble." Regina sets her glass down and stands up.

"Where are you going?"

"To your room. The couch looks plenty comfortable for you. Please send Henry in to say good night when he arrives."

Emma stands up and stops Regina from moving past her. "Wait, that's it? I say one thing that displeases you and you're shutting me out for the night?"

"You've said a lot more than one thing that displeases me over the last month. I came here for Henry and in hopes that you would be ready to work on our issue. Instead, you thought you could wash it over with a cute date and a pathetic attempt at an apology, if that's even what you can call it."

Regina's eyes go wide as Emma lips are suddenly on hers. Briefly stunned, she just stands there, then anger sets in her eyes and she shoves Emma back, hard.

Emma stumbles and confusion covers her face.

"How dare you," Regina hisses. "How dare you kiss me right now? What part of that made you think it was okay to kiss me? Did you really think you could just wash away my hurt and my anger like that? Is that really how you want to remember our first kiss?"

Emma stammers but can't form any words.

Regina shoves past her to pick up her suitcase. Emma grabs her arm to stop her. "Get your hand off of me, Miss Swan." Emma quickly recoils at the fury in Regina's voice.

"I- I'm sorry, Regina. It was foolish. I just… I'm sorry."

At Emma's bedroom door, Regina doesn't bother turning around. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that, Miss Swan."

Emma flinches when the door slams shut. All she can do is stare at the door. She closes her eyes tight when she hears Regina fail to conceal a sob.


	9. Chapter 9

Around midnight, Emma jumps when Henry shakes her awake. "Kid, you have got to stop waking me up like this."

"She's still awake," he spits at her.

"Dang, Henry. Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. I got her here for you. I made up a story to bail on you so you had time to be alone."

Emma sits up. "Really? There wasn't a concert?"

"No, there wasn't. I just went to the dorms to hang out with the few people left around here so you could make up. Now I have to be on damage control. How can one person be so incredibly bad at this?"

"Hey, you can back off, mister. I'm not exactly happy either."

Henry drops onto the chair across from her. "What did you do? She's really upset. She was obviously crying."

"I kissed her."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh it was very much a bad thing. She was mad at me and practically yelling at me, and I just dove in to kiss her."

"Why?"

Emma shrugs. "Seemed like a good thing to do at the moment."

"You watch way too many movies. Have you not realized you need to be delicate with your intimacy?"

"I sure as hell have now."

Henry rubs at his eyes. "So what now?"

"I don't know."

"Well, figure it out," he snaps at her.

She stands and points a finger at him. "This was your master plan, Henry. What did you think was going to happen? Think I could just take her on a date, spill my heart to her, and then get on one knee?"

"I thought maybe you could at least try. Did you spill your heart to her?"

"No."

"Maybe you should. Maybe for once, Ma, you could tell her the truth. Maybe for once you can look her in the eye and tell her how you feel about her instead of beating around the bush."

"You don't know what happened tonight."

Henry crosses his arms. "Am I really that far off?"

Emma huffs and sits back down. "I think this was a mistake. All I manage to do is hurt her."

"She has high expectations."

"Maybe too high."

"Or maybe you could just try to meet them."

Fiddling with her fingers, Emma looks up at Henry. "She's still awake?"

He nods so she slowly gets up. She takes a deep breath before entering her bedroom.

"Regina?"

"Get out," Regina bites through the darkness.

"Okay." She quickly closes the door and turns to Henry. "I think I'll wait til the morning."

Henry rolls his eyes and moves toward his room. "You're pathetic."

Emma grabs his arm and spins him around. "You need to chill, Henry. You're pushing your luck with that attitude. I don't need both of you attacking me. You want your plan to work so well, then stop criticizing me and get in my corner."

Henry stares at her, looking back and forth between her eyes, before relaxing a bit. "I'm sorry. I just really don't like you upsetting her so much."

"I'm not trying to, Henry. Please understand that. I want nothing more than for this to work out, but I'm just sucking wind at every attempt."

Henry nods. "Keep trying. Let's go out as a family tomorrow and have a good time. I'll go off and play with the sting rays or something while you try to talk. Maybe a big public space will keep you both in check."

Emma nods back. "Hopefully. Thank you, Henry. Don't give up on either us, okay? You're our rock, and you're supposed to have an unwitting amount of hope in that heart of yours so be nice to me," she jabs him in the chest, "and let's make this work."

He rubs at the spot on his chest then pulls her into a hug. She gasps at the sudden movement then lays her head on his shoulder and squeezes him back. "I love you, Ma." He releases her and goes into his room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"I love you too, kid," she whispers into the door. She turns and stares at her bedroom door. She takes one step forward then shakes her head and goes back to lie on the couch.

Acting as a barrier, Henry walks between Emma and Regina as they enter the aquarium. Regina smiles when both Henry and Emma's faces light up at the grand dome.

"Hey, sting rays!" Henry shouts and runs over an open tank designed for patrons to interact with the animals.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Smooth," she mumbles.

"Pardon?" Regina asks walking next to her but certainly not close.

"He's just a goof."

"Takes after his mother."

"Which one?" Emma teases.

Regina just raises an eyebrow and meets Henry at the tank.

Emma's shoulders sag and she trudges behind. She laughs when she sees Henry trying to shove Regina's hand in the water.

Regina manages to yank her hand back just as a ray swims by. "Thank you, Henry, but I think I've had enough of this little experience." She steps away from the tank and moves to sit along the wall and wait.

Henry looks over his shoulder at Emma and winks.

She smiles back at him. "Smooth, indeed," she mumbles, more proudly this time. Taking a calming breath, she takes the seat next to Regina, careful not to sit too close. "Can we talk?"

Regina keeps her eyes on Henry. "Would you not rather enjoy our son's experience?"

"I think we can do both."

Regina hums doubtfully. "Our track record proves otherwise."

Emma grits her teeth. "Please, Regina, I know you don't see it this way, but I am trying. I want to get through to you. Please just talk to me."

Regina finally looks at Emma. "You have my attention."

"First off, I'm sorry for kissing you. It seemed like a much better idea at the time."

"You were mistaken."

"I panicked." Regina just cocks her head and waits for Emma to continue. Trying to feign confidence, Emma turns fully to Regina, gripping her pant-leg for comfort. "You know how I feel about you-"

"Actually, Emma, you haven't said anything beyond you care about me. That's quite obvious, and you know that I care about you too."

"Okay." Emma looks around at the massive crowd. "Maybe this really isn't the best place."

"I'm leaving that decision up to you, Emma."

Frustrated, Emma responds, "You know what? You haven't exactly been- Nevermind." Emma turns away.

Regina reaches out and turns Emma back to her. "Stop. Stop turning away from me. Stop tuning me out. And stop giving up."

"You're a tiny bit frustrating, Regina."

Regina shrugs. "You've had years to learn that, dear. I don't foresee a change."

Emma runs a hand down her face and turns back to Regina. "I'm gonna say something that's kind of a big deal, and I don't want you to say anything back until you've thought about. I'm just gonna say it and then let's get Henry and go through this aquarium as a family. Okay?"

Regina nods slowly. "I'm listening."

"For a long time, like a really long time, you've held a special place in my heart, and not just because you're Henry's mom who raised my son to be an incredible young man. That certainly helps though."

They share a quick smile before Emma continues. "I realize this is likely one sided, and that's okay. I really just don't want to ruin things, and I'm really scared which is why I have been a complete and utter ass."

Regina nods in agreement. "Look, I'm just going to say it. Henry told me to spill my heart, so here it is... Regina, I am deeply and honestly in love with you, and I have been for a long time, and… And that's basically my burden to bear. I don't know what else to say. I don't really have any excuses for my behavior. Just know that- just know that I will always be here for you, and I will always do anything for your happiness."

Regina stares at Emma with wide eyes. Emma looks away nervously. She takes a deep breath and stands holding her hand out to Regina. "Shall we?"

Regina smiles at her softly and takes her hand. Emma drops her hand as they walk to Henry, but Regina quickly takes it back in her grip, stepping close to Emma so that their shoulders are touching.

Once they are behind Henry, Regina gently touches his shoulder. He turns and immediately grins when he sees their hands together.

"There are no promises here, Henry," Regina warns.

Emma shifts uncomfortably but nods in agreement.

"Well, if you don't mind, just for now, I'm going to pretend we're a real family," Henry says.

"We've always been a family, Henry," Regina argues.

"Feels a bit more complete right now," he adds with a kiss to each of their cheeks. "Come on." He grabs their joined hands and drags them to another area of the aquarium.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma sits on the couch reflecting on the aquarium with a smile on her face. It was a dream come true. She stayed hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm with Regina the entire time. They all laughed, learned, and explored together. Now Emma is waiting anxiously to take Regina out for another date, and hopefully it ends better than the last one.

Regina steps out of the bedroom in a snug black dress that immediately has all of Emma's attention. She cocks her hip and smirks as Emma slowly drags her eyes over her body. "Enjoying the show, Miss Swan?"

"Oh, very much so."

"I see you went out of your way to dress up for me."

Emma looks down at herself still dressed in jeans but with a sweater over her tank top. She sucks her teeth. "Yeah… sorry. Want me to change?"

Regina shakes her head. "No need, dear. I find your lack of style oddly endearing."

"Gee, thanks," Emma responds as she gets up from the couch. "Hungry?"

"I am as long as we're not going back to some terrible restaurant where your arteries are doomed upon entry."

Emma laughs and opens Henry's door. "See you later, kid. Sure you don't want to come?"

Henry glares at her. "I already said no. Would you please just go?"

Regina steps around the door and peers in. "Everything okay, sweetie?"

"Yes, now go. Date. Enjoy. Leave me be."

Regina crosses her arms. "What are you not telling us, Henry?"

"Nothing."

"You take after your birth mother here with your inability to lie. What's going on?"

Emma puts her hands on her hips. "Spill, kid."

Henry groans and lays his head back, staring at the ceiling. "I have a… friend coming over."

Regina and Emma look at each other with wide eyes. Regina steps forward. "Henry Daniel Mills you are only 19 years old, what makes you think you should be alone with a girl in an apartment?"

Henry stares at her with his mouth open. "Um, how about the fact that I am 19 years old? I'm not a child anymore. Get over it."

"Whoa, kid," Emma steps into the room too. "Watch your attitude. We are allowed to be concerned right now. In fact, we are supposed to be concerned."

"I promise nothing's going to happen. Please, please, just go before she gets here." Henry puts his hands together as he pleads with them.

"No," they say in unison.

"Looks like we're having a date in tonight," Emma says firmly to Regina.

Regina nods. "I'll make dinner. Do you have real food in this apartment?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "Yes, your majesty, I do feed him from time to time."

Henry stands up. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Henry," Regina steps closer to him. "Why do you so badly want us gone?"

"You two need your privacy and a night out. This is for my operation."

Emma scoffs. "Uh which operation are we talking about here, kid? Your mom and I will be just fine. You, however, have some explaining to do."

Henry pulls out his phone to send a text message. "There. It's done. She's not coming over." He drops his phone on his bed and sits in his chair, turning his back to them.

Emma turns him back around in his rolling chair. "What's the deal with this girl? You've never even told me her name."

"You never asked," he barks back.

"Amelia," Regina offers.

"Why do you know?" Emma turns to her.

"She asked," Henry barks again.

"Alright, alright, Henry," Emma tries to calm him down. "This is escalating way too much. If you want Amelia to come over, invite her for dinner and then you are more than welcome to do something here, with us in another room, or take her on a date. That's it though. We aren't leaving for you to have a girl here alone."

"Thanks." He turns back around. "But no thanks."

Regina puts her hand on his shoulder. "Henry, talk to us."

"I'm good. Can you guys just go please?"

"I told you we're not leaving, Henry," Emma states firmly.

"Please leave my room." Henry practically growls, his temper setting in quickly.

Regina squeezes his shoulder then walks out, dragging Emma behind her. They shut his door and aren't surprised to hear the lock engage.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asks staring at the door.

Regina ushers her into the kitchen. "He's not a boy anymore, Emma. We are going to have to accept that soon."

"Oh, so you want to let that girl come over?"

"You know the answer to that, Emma."

"What are you trying to say then?" Emma asks stepping close to Regina.

Regina leans a hand on the counter and stares at Emma. "I'm saying our son is 19 years old, and we cannot shelter him forever no matter how much we want to."

"What's your point?"

Regina sighs. "I'm not speaking Latin, Emma." She turns to the pantry and pulls down a pack of spaghetti. "Why have you never asked about Amelia?"

"I have," Emma defends weakly.

Regina purses her lips. "You didn't even know the girl's name. He's been dating her since October."

"Actually he's been breaking up with her once a month since October."

"What?"

Emma shrugs. "Yep, he's been quite the player."

Regina turns to her and crosses her arms. "And you just let him do this?"

Emma throws up her hands. "Just a minute ago I didn't even know her name."

"Not helping your case, Emma. This just shows that you're not paying enough attention to him." Regina grabs a pot to fill it up with water. "Why are you even here with him if you're not going to take an interest in his life?"

"Excuse me?"

Regina moves through the kitchen without looking at Emma. "I just don't understand how you can spend every day with our son and not know about his personal life. Henry is not known for being secretive or even discreet. How many times has he had that girl over?"

"He hasn't," Emma states firmly.

"That you know of?" Regina faces Emma with her hands on her hips. "How would you know? You don't ask him. Are you home every single night that he is?"

"Most," Emma shrugs. "I don't have a very active social life, Regina. He would ask me first."

"Are you sure about that? He didn't ask tonight. We only got it out of him by stressing him out."

Emma throws up her hands. "Well I don't know, okay?"

"No, Emma, it's not okay. I thought I could trust you." She shakes her head and returns to the pantry looking for sauce.

Emma pushes in front of Regina to catch her attention. "You can trust me. I'm trying to do what's best for Henry."

"Just like you did when you put him up for adoption?"

Emma steps back from Regina. "Yes, that was best for him. He wouldn't have you if it wasn't for me."

"And he wouldn't have you if it wasn't for me."

"Well then he's just a lucky boy." Emma moves out of the kitchen and sits on a stool. "I'm not fighting with you."

"Too late," Regina says as she pulls down the pasta sauce.

"Yes, well, I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"Then I suggest you find a way to make me trust you again."

Emma drops her head on the counter. "Why? Why can we not make it through a single fucking day? You're impossible."

Regina spins around. "So this is suddenly my fault?"

"Sure, why not? I'll blame you. You'll blame me. Henry'll blame the world for his angsty teenage obnoxious moments. It'll be a blame-fest."

Regina rolls her eyes and starts cooking again. "I just ask that you start taking a greater interest in our son, please. I want to trust that he is safe and well taken care of here."

"He is!" Emma shouts at Regina's back. "God, one damn thing and shit hits the fan. Give me a break already."

"I think I've given you plenty."

Emma rolls her eyes and moves to the fridge to grab a beer.

"Really?" Regina says, eyeballing the beer in her hand.

With a loud groan, Emma slams the beer in a trash can and storms off to her bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

Emma lays face down on her bed, head buried in a pillow. When she hears the door open, she doesn't move a muscle hoping to discourage either Henry or Regina, neither of whom she particularly wants to see.

The bed depresses next to her and a small hand rests on her back. She turns her head to peek at Regina with one eye.

Regina smiles at her and rubs her back. "Dinner's ready."

"Why are you in here?"

"Because dinner's ready, and I know you're hungry."

Emma puts her head back in her pillow.

Regina tugs at the pillow to encourage Emma to look at her again, but Emma just grunts and fights against her. "You're acting like a child, dear. This is how I would expect to find Henry."

Emma just shrugs but freezes when she feels Regina's lips on her ear. "Come eat," Regina whispers.

Emma flips over on her side and yanks Regina down onto the bed with her. Regina yelps and her eyes go wide when she crashes down next to Emma.

Emma looks between Regina's eyes. "I really want to kiss you right now, but we just had a fight so I'm pretty sure you don't want me to."

"You're correct," Regina responds with a small nod. She studies Emma's face too and glances at her lips. "Apologize."

"I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," Regina barely gets out before crashing her lips against Emma's.

Their eyes flutter shut before their lips start moving together. The kiss is full of want, yet at first too timid to press forward. They move their lips in perfect sync, neither opening their mouth for further exploration. Finally, Emma leans into Regina, but senses no reaction from her. She tries to open her mouth to Regina, but Regina doesn't respond.

Emma pulls back and pecks Regina on the forehead before getting out of bed. She puts out her hand to Regina.

Regina stares at her hand then up at her face with a furrowed brow. "Did I do something wrong?"

Emma shakes her head but Regina can tell her jaw is set.

Regina sits up and takes Emma's hand, but instead of standing, she tries to pull Emma down to sit.

Emma shakes her head again.

"Emma, talk to me. Please." Regina clasps both hands over Emma's, scooting close to her on the bed.

Clenching her eyes shut, Emma tries to take a deep breath, but it's shaky.

Regina stands and wraps her hands around Emma's waist pulling her close. She pecks Emma's lips. Emma pulls back from the kiss and turns her head, her eyes still shut. Regina grabs her face and turns it back. That's when she notices the tears threatening to fall.

"Emma, why are you crying?"

Emma opens her eyes and laughs derisively, pushing out of Regina's hold.

"You wanted to kiss me, Emma. We kissed. What happened? I don't know about you, but I was certainly enjoying it."

"You sure about that?"

Regina stares at her. "What did I do? All I was doing was kissing you. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Did you kiss me just because that's what I wanted?"

"No. I kissed you because that's what we both wanted."

Emma shakes her head and looks down. "It just didn't feel like you really wanted it as much as me."

Regina moves to step forward, but Emma leans away from her so she stops. "I don't understand what I did. I'm sorry, Emma. Whatever I did, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay," Emma says softly. "I didn't expect you to feel the same anyways. It was stupid to get my hopes up." She turns to leave.

Regina grabs her arm and pulls her back around. "What makes you think I don't feel the same?"

Emma shrugs. "You haven't given me reason to think otherwise."

Regina steps back and glares. "You told me not to respond to you right away. I opted to respect that. I'm sorry if my timeline for a response didn't match your expectations."

"I don't have any expectations, Regina. It's not important. Let's just go eat."

"No, it's obviously extremely important, Emma."

Emma bows her head. "You didn't kiss me back."

"What! How was I not kissing you back?"

"I felt compelled to kiss you deeper, and well, you apparently did not." Emma shakes her head. "But as I said, it's okay. You don't have to feel the same way. At least this kiss was better than the last one."

Emma tries to smile but it falters.

Regina ducks her head to catch Emma's eyes. "Have I not already asked you to stop telling me how I feel and to stop making assumptions?"

Emma raises her eyes to look at Regina.

"You don't know how I feel because you have never actually asked me."

"Then tell me, Regina. Please tell me."

Regina moves closer to Emma. "I love you, Emma. I really do."

"But you're not in love with me," Emma says quietly.

"I don't know if I am or not. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been in love? I'm not sure I remember what it feels like."

"Well, I sure as hell do, and it kinda sucks." Emma sighs and looks down at the ground again.

Regina lifts Emma's chin. "Believe me when I say I want nothing more than to be in love with you."

Emma rolls her eyes. "You can't just make yourself fall in love with someone."

"Falling in love is a journey."

"Ugh, you sound like Henry."

"Well, he is a wise boy." Regina kisses Emma's cheek softly. She leans up to whispers in Emma's ear. "Let me fall in love with you."

Emma's breath hitches, and she pulls back to stare at Regina. She sees the sincerity in her eyes. "You realize how much this is going to hurt if you don't end up feeling the same about me? How long do I wait until you finally turn me down? How am I supposed to know if any of this is real or just you trying too hard?"

Regina strokes Emma's cheeks. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

She puts her hand over Emma's heart. "Then trust me with this."


	12. Chapter 12

In the kitchen the next morning, Emma moves pancakes onto plates from the griddle while Regina reads a book on the couch.

"Enjoying yourself?" Emma asks as she pulls bacon from the stove.

"It is pleasant having someone cook for me. I haven't sat down to read in far too long."

Emma holds a pancake above her head. "Well, I am a pancake champion, so have no fear."

Regina smiles at her. "We can't have pancakes every day, dear. Perhaps you should try expanding your horizons."

Emma scoffs. "Who needs that?" With a few more moves around the kitchen, she has filled three plates. "And… breakfast is served." She looks at Henry's door that hasn't opened since last night's little debacle. "How do we feed the beast?"

"The beast?" Regina laughs. "That might be a bit extreme."

"Were you not there last night?" Emma teases.

Regina nods and smiles. "Let me try." She moves to the door and knocks lightly before pressing her ear to it, listening for movement. "He's awake," she whispers to Emma. She knocks again and hears more shuffling.

"Yeah?" he says through the closed door.

"Breakfast, sweetie."

"I'm not hungry."

Regina rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Yes, you are. Please come out and eat with your mothers."

"No, I don't want to."

"We don't have to talk about last night right away. We can just eat first."

She hears his footsteps move closer to the door then stop as he neglects to respond.

Regina stares at the door for a moment then smirks. "I kissed your mother last night."

The door nearly flies off its hinges he opens it so fast. "Really?" Regina smiles and nods. "I mean, that's kind of gross to think about, but it's good for you two, right?"

He looks between Regina and Emma, and only sees a genuine smile on Regina's face, no matter how hard Emma tries. He moves toward Emma. "Why- why isn't this a good thing?"

Emma is taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You're not happy."

"That's not true, Henry. I am happy."

He studies her face. "You're lying."

Regina moves up next to Henry and puts a hand on his shoulder. "There's a lot going on, Henry. A lot of emotions to figure out. Give us time."

Emma nods and tries harder this time to plaster on a convincing smile.

Henry looks between the two of them for a few moments before stopping and looking at the plates of food. "Ooh, breakfast."

Regina watches Emma slowly release a quiet breath as Henry passes. She looks away before she can see the pain in emerald eyes.

Henry jumps on a barstool and starts shoving bacon in his mouth. "You have to work today, Ma?"

Emma nods and waits for Regina to take a seat before she sits on the other side of Henry. "Unfortunately, yes. Back to the daily grind."

"Monday Funday," he chimes in.

Regina leans forward to look at Emma. "Can I see where you work?"

"Um, sure? It's not exactly thrilling."

Regina picks up her fork and knife to start cutting her pancakes. "I'm just trying to take an interest in your life, dear."

"Which I do appreciate," Emma responds, eating her pancake with her hand.

Regina looks over and shakes her head at the sight. "You are both savages."

"Welcome to our house," Henry smiles with his mouth full. "I wanted to show you campus, if that's cool."

Regina nods. "Certainly, dear. Why don't we take your mother to work then go see your university and whatever else you want to show me?"

Henry nods. "Sounds good to me. You?" He looks over at Emma.

"Yeah, sure. The office is walking distance, so it'll be nice to have company."

Regina tries to hold Emma's gaze for as long as she can with a smile on her face. She sighs when Emma looks away.

In light jackets, the trio walks down the sidewalk towards a large office building. Emma points to the entrance. "There it is."

"Should we come up?" Regina asks.

Emma shakes her head. "Nah, it's just a bumpy elevator ride then employees only past the desk. Won't see much." She steps back from them. "But have fun."

Regina reaches out and stops Emma from leaving. She leans up, cups Emma's cheek, and kisses her softly on the lips. "I love you."

Emma nods. "I know you do, but I can't bear you saying that to me unless we feel the same." Emma kisses her on the cheek and gently removes the hand from her own cheek. She kisses the palm of Regina's hand then turns to cross the street for the office building.

Regina watches her go, running her thumb over the spot Emma kissed on her palm.

"Are you sure you're not in love with her?" Henry asks, taking a step up next to her.

She shakes her head. "I really don't know, Henry. Is that terrible?"

"Kind of," he shrugs. "She's tough though, right?"

Regina glances up at him. "Not really, sweetie. Rejection takes a big toll on her."

"So don't reject her."

"But that's exactly what I'm doing."

Henry groans. "Then stop."

Regina sighs and puts her arm through his as they turn back the way they came. "I wish it was that easy, Henry. I really do."

"I think you're making it more complicated than it has to be."

Regina looks up at him. "And I think you're hoping to distract me from our pending conversation about last night."

He grimaces and avoids looking at her.

Sitting on a bench, Henry chews on a hot dog while Regina watches the fountains in Centennial Park.

"This is an interesting city," Regina says, not taking her eyes off the water show.

Henry nods. "I like it."

"Enough to stay?"

"For at least four years."

Regina sighs and crosses her legs. "At least your summer break is coming up. You'll be home for that." She quickly turns to him. "You are coming home for that, right?"

Henry chuckles. "Yes, Mom, I'll be coming home." He leans over to throw his trash in a can by him and looks back to Regina. "Ma's gonna be really lonely though. What are we gonna do about her?"

"She's not likely to quit her job to come with you the entire break."

Henry slouches. "I wish she would."

Regina nods slowly. "As do I, but she has responsibilities and bills to pay."

"Why don't you pay them?" Regina raises an eyebrow and stares at him. "You can pay for her apartment and whatever else so she can quit and be with us over the summer."

Regina shakes her head. "Henry, your mother would never allow me to cover her costs like that. She is far too independent and, frankly, stubborn."

Henry turns on the bench to face her. "But what if it's for love? She wants to be with you all the time, I know she does. And she already said she's not leaving me until my junior year so I know I'm stuck with her next year at least."

"Stuck with her?" Regina eyes him with a warning.

He waves her off. "I just mean that the summer could be really good for your relationship."

"We aren't in a relationship, Henry."

"But you could be."

Regina pats his knee. "Let's get through Spring Break first, shall we?"

Henry huffs. "What are you so damn afraid of?"

"I would appreciate you not getting a tone with me. We had enough of that last night."

"Fine." He mocks, "What, oh dear mother of mine, has you in such a fright?"

Regina glares at him causing him to instantly recoil. She slowly turns her head to look back at the fountains. "I believe this conversation is over."

Henry rolls his eyes. "Way to prove you're not scared."

Regina snaps her head back around. "Your sass can leave at any time, Henry."

"Sorry," he mumbles under his breath. "But you can't deny that you're scared."

She studies him then looks away again. "I'm not denying anything." She stands. "Come. Show me your classrooms."

He sighs and leads her toward the university.


	13. Chapter 13

Finally ending her work day, Emma falls back against the elevator wall. Just before the doors close, a male coworker, Braden, jumps in.

"Hey, Em," he says with far too much enthusiasm for Emma.

"Ma," she corrects.

"So, what are you doing after work?"

"Same thing I do every day after work."

He puts his hands in his jacket pocket and smiles. "Oh and what's that?"

Emma tries not to roll her eyes. "Go home. Turn on trashy television. Pretend like I have any clue how to help my son with his homework."

"Well, how about we mix it up?"

The elevator doors open on the bottom floor, and Emma steps right past him. She sighs when she realizes he's following her.

He nudges her arm. "What do you think? We can, you know, make it a date."

"A date?"

Emma spins around to see Regina standing next to her. "Regina, hi. What are you doing here?"

Regina raises her eyebrow and scans over Braden. "I thought you would like someone to walk you home, but I fear I've interrupted a date."

"What?" Emma glances back at Braden and laughs unintentionally. "Oh, no, there's no date."

Regina watches the disappointment on his face. "Does he know that?"

Emma looks between them both before turning to Braden. "Look, Braden, I really appreciate the invite, but I'm going to have to decline."

"Can I at least ask why?"

Emma shifts uncomfortably. "I'm just simply not interested."

"And otherwise involved," Regina adds, stepping forward and looping her arm through Emma's.

Braden looks quickly between the two women. "You two are together?"

"Yes," Regina states firmly and raises an eyebrow, daring Braden to challenge.

He backs up a couple of steps. "Alright, I apologize then. I didn't realize. See you tomorrow, Em."

"Ma!" Emma shouts at his back. She grunts and lightly removes Regina's arm from hers. "Thanks, but that really wasn't necessary."

"Were you planning on going out with him?"

"Of course not, Regina. But you didn't have to lie to him."

Regina watches her. "I suppose I may have acted a bit brashly. The idea of you going on a date with someone other than me was displeasing."

Emma holds the door for Regina to exit. "Why shouldn't I be able to date someone else? We aren't in a relationship."

Regina stops. "I suppose I have no right to ask you to be exclusive, but I was under the impression that you would be."

Emma shrugs and walks down the sidewalk.

Picking up her pace a bit, Regina steps in front of Emma to stop her. "Why are you being so cold right now? What could I have possibly done while you were at work?"

"I guess I've had a lot of time to think while staring at my stupid computer all day."

"Okay, and what did that thinking accomplish?"

Emma stares at Regina. "That I don't know how long I can really wait for you to just break my heart."

Regina throws up her hands. "I'm sorry you have an undying need for instant gratification, but good grief Emma, at least give me a day. We've hardly been together since we talked."

"Do you want to be in a relationship with me?" Emma asks, trying to mask the desperation in her tone.

"Would it be easier on you if I just said yes?"

"It would be easier on me if you meant it." Emma tries to step past Regina, but she is stopped.

"You know what I want, Emma? I want you to sweep me off my feet. I want you to take me out for other people to see. I want you to be excited to have me at your side. And I want to know what it feels like to fall in love with Emma Swan. Please give me that chance."

Emma nods slowly.

Regina leans up and kisses the corner of Emma's lips. "Tonight, after a lengthy discussion with that boy of ours, you and I will go out together. Take me wherever you want to go, even if I'll hate it, as long as it will make you happy."

Emma smiles and nods more assuredly. "That sounds like a good plan to me."

Regina takes Emma's arm and turns to move down the sidewalk again. "Good. Now let's go. Henry's waiting at the apartment for us."

"Just one more thing," Emma says, stopping Regina and spinning her back around. She wraps her arms around Regina's waist and ducks her head to kiss her lips.

Regina wraps her hands around Emma's neck, and Emma's eyes widen as Regina pulls their bodies tighter together. She smiles into the kiss then lays her forehead against Regina's. "I could get used to this," she whispers.

Regina kisses her lips softly before responding, "As could I."

In the kitchen, Regina, wearing a gray dress, makes Henry dinner while he plays a video game. Emma comes out of her room in a dress as well.

She steps up beside Regina in the kitchen. "Hope this is better."

Regina turns and slowly grazes her eyes over Emma. She puts her hand on Emma's stomach and leans forward. "This will certainly do, my love." She kisses Emma but frowns when Emma suddenly pulls back.

"No. Don't do that." Emma steps back, flustered.

Henry pauses his video game and stands to watch them.

Regina reaches out but stops when Emma shakes her head. "Don't do what?"

Emma puts her head in her hands and groans before clearing her throat and straightening back up. "I really really can't do a pet name from you right now, Regina. That feels way too good, and it's not real."

Regina clenches her fists. "I can't tell you I love, which I do. I can't lean on your arm and claim you as mine, though I think we'd both like that. And I can't call you an endearing name, which feels real to me. Is there anything else I can't do?"

Emma rubs her arms and swallows thickly. "No?" Regina stares at her. She drops her arms. "I don't know, Regina. This is ridiculously hard and painful."

"I'm trying, Emma! I am trying so hard to be what you need me to be."

"Just be you!"

Regina steps forward. "I am. This is me." Emma rolls her eyes and turns her head. "Look at me." She waits until she catches Emma's eyes. "I love you whether you like it or not."

"And I am in love with you whether you like it or not."

"I like it. In fact, I love that you're in love with me. I want that too."

Emma shakes her head. "You can't just wish for love to happen, Regina. If it's not there, it's not."

"But I don't know that it's not. I'm trying to figure out how I feel, and you're only throwing up road blocks. No, I don't have answers waiting for you, but I would like the opportunity to try. Can we please try to have a relationship like normal adults?"

"Regina, there has never been anything normal between us."

Regina shakes her head and turns back to the stove. "If it's not worth trying, just say so and I will stop. I will leave you be, and we will return to a not-so-normal relationship as friends."

Emma tries to take Regina's arm to get her attention, but Regina pulls away from her grasp. "It is worth trying. You are worth trying for. I didn't mean to make you feel like you weren't. I'm sorry."

Regina just shakes her head. Emma looks at Henry who is glaring at her, his controller still in his hand. She shrugs weakly at him, and he points at Regina's back, gesturing for her to try again.

Emma takes a deep breath and turns back to Regina. She takes Regina's hand, not letting her pull away this time. Once Regina turns to her, she says, "Regina, I love you too. I love having you on my arm, and it feels amazing to hear you call me your love or anything you want to call me aside from Miss Swan. I'm sorry I'm being bad at this. My heart hurts, a whole lot, every time I look at you and think that there's about a fifty-fifty chance I'll never get to be with you."

Regina drops her head. "I don't want your heart to hurt, Emma."

"I know, but that's probably not going to change anytime soon, so let's just work through it-" she raises Regina's chin, "-together."

Regina pecks Emma's cheek. "Okay." After a deep breath, she plates Henry's food and sets it at the counter. "Henry," she calls to him.

"Yeah?" he responds timidly.

"Sit. Eat. Discuss."

He pouts. "I was hoping Ma would mess up enough that you would just forget."

"I don't think I could mess up that bad, kid," Emma laughs.

Regina raises an eyebrow. "Don't be so sure."

Henry tosses down his controller and drags his feet to the bar to drop in a seat.

"Good dramatic start, kid," Emma teases.

He throws his head back. "Ugh, let's just get this over with."


	14. Chapter 14

By the end of a lengthy sex talk, Emma and Henry are both sitting in stools staring at Regina with disgusted expressions.

"And that is why you need to remember the use of contraceptives," she finishes, staring at Henry.

He pushes his food away. "Did you really have to be so graphic?"

"Agreed," Emma gags.

Regina glares at Emma. "This is an important topic that we obviously made a mistake by skipping when he was younger, so yes."

Emma nods and pats Henry on the back. "You seemed legitimately shocked by a lot of that, so can I assume you're still a virgin?"

Henry quickly looks back down at his plate.

"Henry!" Regina gasps. "Why didn't you talk to one of us?"

"Mom, I'm not 14 anymore. I'm sorry if we missed some monumental stepping stone or whatever, but ship's done been sailed."

Emma grimaces. "Oh I so didn't want to think about this. I thought we had many years left."

Regina and Henry both turn to her. "Honestly, Emma," Regina scolds. "Please start paying more attention to him."

Emma shakes her finger. "No, no, no. We are not having this argument again. I will do my best." She turns to Henry. "I try to always be honest with you, can you promise to do the same?"

Henry stares at her then nods. "I'm sorry I never told you about Amelia, and I'm sorry I tried to bring her over without asking."

"She hasn't come over before, has she?" Emma asks hopefully.

"No, Ma. That was gonna be our first night here."

Emma drops her head down on the counter. "Oh thank god." She looks back up at Regina. "See? Told you."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Henry, have you been careful?"

"Mom," he whines.

Her expression turns fierce. "No, Henry. You do not get out of this. Have you been careful with this girl? There are very real and serious consequences to having sex, protected or unprotected. You have a great deal of physical and emotional aspects to consider every time you copulate so I expect you to be completely honest with me. Have you been careful?"

Henry nods quickly. "Yes, I promise."

Emma shifts to face him. "What about emotionally?"

"What?"

"Have you been careful with her emotions? With your own emotions?"

Henry shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe."

Regina crosses her arms. "Henry, your mother says you've been calling off your relationship every time you return home to see Grace. Why?"

Henry just shrugs again.

"Nope, not good enough," Emma responds. "Try again."

He sighs. "She's fun, okay? We have a good time. Good… sex. And we just like being around each other."

"So the problem is what exactly?" Emma asks.

"She's not Grace," he says quietly.

Emma and Regina look at each other then back to him as he drops his head. Emma squeezes his shoulder. "Then why aren't you dating Grace?"

Henry rolls his eyes. "And how in the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Henry," Regina warns about his language.

"We're hundreds of fucking miles away-"

"Henry, that's enough." Regina sends a piercing glare at him until he leans back away from her and gives her a small nod.

Emma's eyes dart between them as she slowly stands and puts out her hands. "Okay, let's take a quick breather. Regina, can I borrow you?" Emma holds out her hand across the counter for Regina, but Regina merely glares at her. "The bedroom, please?"

With one last glance at Henry who still hasn't straightened up in his seat, Regina walks to the bedroom, tailed by Emma.

Once the door is closed, Regina spins around to Emma. "Why does my son suddenly think he can speak to me that way?"

"You aren't exactly squeaky clean either, okay?"

"I am an adult."

"You're the one arguing he is too."

Regina narrows her eyes at Emma. "Is this really the route you want to go down in this conversation?"

Emma shakes her head. "No." She reaches out and takes Regina's shoulders. "I know we're both upset and slightly weirded out right now."

"I don't get weirded out."

"Okay then I'm weirded out, but we need to be on the same team here. Henry's actually struggling with something, and he needs us to help him."

Regina bunches the fabric of Emma's dress over her abs and pulls her close, resting her face in Emma's neck. Emma kisses her temple and wraps her arms around her.

Regina tilts her head back to look at Emma. "When did he get so big?"

"He was already big when he found me, so you'll have to tell me."

"He was a good baby. It would have been nice to raise him with you."

Emma laughs. "You would have murdered me back then. You came close to it as it was."

Regina shrugs. "Well it sounds nice now."

Emma looks down at her. "Do you want another kid?"

Regina scoffs and pulls back. "Do I look like your mother? I do not need children an entire generation apart, thank you." Regina straightens up her clothes. "Let's go cheer up our one and only son."

"I was just checking." She kisses Regina's lips before taking her hand and leading her from the bedroom.

They find Henry playing a video game again. Emma sits down in the chair, and Regina sits right next to him, rubbing his arm for him to pause the game.

"Talk to us, kid," Emma starts.

Henry shakes his head. "There's not much to say."

"I'm sure there's plenty. Let's start with Grace."

Henry laughs. "Why?"

Regina squeezes his arm. "Henry, we want to help you. We love you, and we want nothing less than your happiness. Grace makes you happy, so let's work together how to nurture that relationship."

Henry looks between the two of them. "This is a joke right? You're joking."

Emma cocks her head. "Neither of us are laughing, Henry. We both feel this is important."

He shakes his head and stands up. "In what world would I take relationship advice from you two? Tell me, Ma, what are you going to do when Spring Break's over? It's gonna be just the two of us again for three more weeks while you pine away over Mom." Henry turns to Regina. "And what are you going to do? Just keep pretending everything's grand with this family, that there are no problems, that we're your perfect duo you get to bring home and show off?"

"I have never treated you like a door prize, Henry. Where is this coming from?"

"Fine, maybe not me, but what about Ma? You get to bring her home, play with her, then throw her back on a plane in pieces that I have to try desperately to glue back together. You don't know what it's like, Mom. You just don't get it."

Regina stands up, matching Henry. "Do you think I enjoy watching both of you walk out of my sight every month? Do you think I enjoy the idea of you both being down here by yourselves? Do you think I enjoy the silence of our house when you aren't there? Because if you think for one second that this whole situation doesn't rip out my heart every time you board a plane, then you are wrong."

They stare each other down until Emma stands up and puts a hand on each of them. "This feels like it's quickly turning into a fight over me, and I'm not interested in that, so let's calm down. Henry, we very much want to be your support, but you have to be open to that. I know you're upset right now, and you're probably in a lot of pain thinking about Grace, but taking it out on us is only going to make things worse."

Henry clenches his jaw and steps back from both of them. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry it ever got brought up. Go on your date. I'm just going to go to sleep."

"We'll stay here, Henry," Regina responds.

Henry balls his fist. "No. You cannot keep putting your relationship on hold for me. That doesn't help me figure out what to do with Grace, and it doesn't help you figure out yourselves. Stop using me as a crutch and go finally be a couple."

Emma looks at Regina and shrugs. Regina sighs and sits back down on the edge of the couch.

Henry takes a deep breath and sits down to pull Regina into a hug. "I'm sorry. Please go and make tonight about you, not me."

Regina looks into his eyes. "Henry, I want to help you."

"Then help me by showing me a healthy relationship. We haven't had much of that in our lives."

Emma chuckles but stops when Regina glares at her.

"I'll do my best, Henry." She kisses his hair. "Maybe you should call Grace and just talk to her."

He nods. "Maybe I will. Thanks, moms." He gets up and moves past them to his room. He stops in the doorway. "And don't worry, I'll be here, alone, when you get back." He closes the door.

Emma takes the few steps to sit next to Regina.

Regina quickly turns and grabs Emma face. Emma is surprised to see tears brimming. "I've been hurting you so much for so long."

Emma shrugs. "It's not that bad."

Regina shakes her head and closes her eyes. "No, it really is."

"Well, I have an idea of a way you can make it up to me."

She opens her eyes. "What is it?"

"Go out with me tonight, and let's avoid fighting."

"No promises," Regina smiles.

Emma nods. "Let's just do our best." Emma takes Regina's hand and leads her to the front door.


	15. Chapter 15

Regina sits at a table by herself in a Mexican restaurant, absentmindedly swirling her wine glass.

Emma comes back to the table and kisses her on the temple. She shakes her head at the wine glass. "That's not what I meant when I said order yourself a margarita."

Regina smiles up at her and sips her wine. "Where did you disappear to?"

With a smile, Emma pulls a rose out from behind her back and makes a grand gesture of handing it to Regina.

Regina's smile broadens as she takes the rose. She hooks her finger in Emma's necklace and pulls her down for a kiss. "Thank you, my-" She clears her throat quietly and just smiles.

Emma sits down across from her. "You can say it if you want."

"No," Regina shakes her head. "I can't keep hurting you with every tiny thing I do."

Emma furrows her brow. "That's a little extreme, Regina."

Regina sighs. "I'm sorry. You're right." She looks around the small restaurant. "This is nice."

"Henry and I come here a lot. He practices his Spanish on the waiters."

"Oh? Is he any good?"

"No," Emma laughs. "He's terrible."

"That's disappointing."

Emma shrugs. "I'm sure I don't contribute much. He asks for help with his homework and I just stare at it like it's- well, like it's another language."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I'll help him over the summer."

"You know Spanish?"

"I have many hidden talents, dear." She smirks over her wine glass before taking a sip.

Emma crosses her legs and taps Regina's foot playfully. "I'm excited to learn about all of your talents."

"I'm sure you are." Regina sees a line forming along the window and leans to look outside. "Surely they are not waiting for this establishment."

Emma turns and checks the line of young men and women in clubbing attire. "Um, no. They are lining up for the club next door."

"A club?"

She turns back and can't determine what the look on Regina's face is. "What are you thinking?"

"I've never been to a club."

"There was a brief moment where I was going to feign shock, but I just can't. It's for dancing and drinking way too many shots or whatever junk desperate men buy at the bar for you."

Regina's eyes light up. "Let's go."

"No," Emma laughs. "No."

"Why not?"

"Which part of what I described appealed to you?"

Regina leans forward. "I would like to dance with you, Emma."

"I am thirty-seven years old, Regina."

Regina glares and she crosses her arms. "Then what exactly are you implying about my age?"

Emma shakes her head quickly. "Nothing. I promise. It's just that you go to clubs when you're twenty, not forty."

"So I'm too old to go to dancing now?"

"Not what I'm saying. There are plenty of places to go dancing that are not clubs."

Regina sips at her wine, her glare still firm. "And if I tell you I want to go anyways?"

Emma sighs. "Then I will take you, but I won't be happy be about it."

Regina smiles wickedly. "I can live with that."

With blatant disdain on her face, Emma leads Regina through the packed club full of twenty somethings.

She leans down in Regina's ear. "You know we're the oldest ones here, right?"

Regina pats her arm. "You're insecurities are showing, dear."

Emma rolls her eyes. "If I have to be here, I should at least get to drink."

Stopping them, Regina turns Emma to look at her. "I don't have a problem with you drinking, Emma. I have a problem with you drowning your emotions and finding comfort in booze rather than yourself or others."

Emma nods. "I understand. I can respect that. So, aside from a strong desire to not be surrounded by all of these hormone-fueled mongrels-"

"Good word choice."

"Thank you. I feel fine and would just like to have a few drinks to loosen up."

"You don't need my permission."

"But I want you to be comfortable with my choices."

Regina kisses Emma then nods to the bar. "Buy me something."

"Heck no. I'm not buying you anything."

"Excuse me?"

Emma smiles and gestures to the men looking at them. "Desperate men, remember?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "Emma Swan, I am not flirting with random men all night to get free drinks." She steps past Emma. "I'll buy."

As soon as she steps up to the bar, the bartender slides her two drinks. "From the guys in the corner," he says as he walks off to the next customer.

Emma reaches over her and takes the drinks. "See?" She raises the drinks to the men in the corner and flashes them a smile. "All you have to do is be polite. Is that too much to ask?"

Regina glances at the men staring at them then back at Emma. "Very possibly, yes."

"Come on," Emma says, dragging Regina behind her.

Once they are out of sight from the men at the bar, Emma hands Regina the drink. Regina sighs then takes the drink, sipping it generously.

Emma raises her eyebrows. "Is this a race?"

"Trying to forget the way they looked at us."

Emma shrugs. "You get used to it, especially in a big city."

"I'd rather not."

"Don't worry," Emma says, pulling Regina flush against her with one arm. "I won't let them do anything to you."

"Always the hero," Regina teases. She pulls away to finish her drink then turns to set it down on a table.

She gasps when Emma suddenly flushes against her. Emma runs her hand down Regina's side then sets her hand flat against her stomach, pulling Regina's ass in tight against her. Regina lets her head fall back on Emma's shoulder, just reveling in the feeling of being so close, before she finally starts listening to the music.

Emma smiles when she feels Regina slowly start to sway her hips. She looks down Regina's body, watching and feeling her press back into Emma, and bites hard on her bottom lip. She sets her glass down as well, and when she turns back, Regina wraps her fingers in her hair and pulls her down into a kiss that quickly escalates beyond any of their other kisses.

Dropping her hand from Emma's hair, Regina turns to face Emma. She moans when their breasts press into each other. One of Emma's hands lightly presses into the skin just above Regina's ass while the other runs through her hair.

Regina opens her mouth, and Emma immediately begins exploring her mouth, loving the feeling of Regina's tongue against her own. Regina leans forward, flexing a thigh into Emma's core, and Emma can't muffle her moan.

Suddenly they are pulled apart from each other causing Emma to growl audibly. "What the hell, ladies?" one of the guys from the bar says, he and his buddy eyeballing them.

Regina rips her arm from the shorter man's grasp and moves closer to Emma.

Emma steps forward, inches from the man's face. "Is there a problem?" she hisses through clenched teeth.

"We buy you drinks, and you run off together?"

"Looks like it, bucko. Now, you and your little friend can go. Thanks for the drink." She pats him twice on the chest, hard.

"Let's just go, Emma," Regina says, taking Emma's arm and turning away from the men.

The shorter man grabs Regina's arm again, and before she even has a chance to respond, the man is splayed on the ground from Emma's fist to his face.

The other man moves toward Emma, but Regina throws Emma's drink in his face, stopping him in his tracks as he yells and rubs at his eyes.

Emma raises her fist again, but Regina gets in front of her and pushes her toward the exit. "We're leaving," Regina states firmly.

Once outside, Emma punches the wall. Regina rushes forward and grabs her hand. "Emma. Stop."

Emma slumps against the wall. "I'm sorry. I should have just bought you a damn drink."

"Yes, you should have, but that doesn't really matter anymore." She kisses Emma's cracked knuckles. "Thank you for protecting me."

Emma rolls her eyes. "I never should have put you in that position."

Regina shakes her head. "It's not your fault. I made you bring me here."

Emma nods. "You're right. This is your fault." She laughs when Regina swats her arm.

Regina steps forward and walks her fingers up Emma's chest. "It wasn't all bad though."

"No, it certainly wasn't." She captures Regina's lips in a hard kiss.

"Take me home," Regina whispers into Emma's mouth.

Emma nods and quickly pushes off the wall, taking Regina's hand and hurrying down the sidewalk.


	16. Chapter 16

In the hallway, Emma fumbles with the only three keys on her key ring. She's somehow managed to forget which one grants access to the apartment she so badly wants to be in right now.

Tapping her foot, Regina rolls her eyes when Emma settles on a car key. "It certainly isn't that one, dear."

"Huh?" Emma focuses on the key. "Oh, right."

"Oh, just move, you big idiot." Regina knocks her out of the way with her hip and takes the keys, unlocking the apartment.

Emma follows her in and shrugs. "I'm just a bit-"

She stops when Regina uses Emma's back to slam the front door shut. "Nervous," Emma squeaks out.

Hands just above Emma's breasts, Regina prowls forward, raking her eyes over Emma's body. "Have I told you how much I love your body?" She slowly runs one hand between Emma's breasts and stops just above the apex of her thighs.

Emma swallows thickly and shakes her head.

"Well," Regina says, pressing flush against Emma, lips on her ear. "How about I show you?"

Emma struggles to not let her knees buckle. She can already feel her underwear dampening.

Regina kisses Emma briefly, pulling away with Emma's bottom lip between her teeth. She releases the lip and leaves Emma smashed into the door as she moves toward the bedroom.

Emma shakes her head. "Whoa get it together, Swan," she encourages herself and quickly pushes off the wall, locking the door behind her. She takes two large steps before reaching Regina, pulling her back by the wrist.

Regina gasps when her front crashes against Emma's, but a smirk quickly overtakes her. "Hello, there, Miss-"

"Emma."

"Em-ma"

Emma runs her hands down Regina's back and cups her ass cheeks. Both women moan at the sensation.

One hand pressed hard into her back, Regina lets the fingers off her other hand navigate Emma's abs through the dress. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what you hide under all of these trappings."

Emma tries to feign insult. "Trappings?"

Regina bites her lip and nods.

Emma kisses her then smirks. "Maybe I won't take it off then, just for that."

Regina caresses Emma's cheek. "Emma, you couldn't resist me even if you wanted to."

Emma pulls back at bit. "Yes, I could." Regina just shakes her head and Emma chuckles. "Yeah, you're right." Emma sucks at Regina's neck and bends to run her hands up Regina's thighs, bunching the dress at her hips. Regina opens her mouth to say something but it turns into a yelp when Emma picks her, slamming her into the wall by Henry's room.

Regina wraps her legs tightly around Emma's waist and rocks her hips at the sensation of Emma's stomach applying pressure on her core. She kisses Emma to drown out the moans, but when Emma grabs one of her breasts, she can't hold it in.

Emma laughs and clasps a hand over Regina's mouth, nodding to Henry's room.

Regina glares at her and rips her hand away. "Then I suggest we move this to your room as I had intended earlier."

"Yes, your majesty," Emma says. When Regina tries to get down, Emma just tightens her grip and carries Regina to the bedroom, not missing the smile on Regina's face before their lips find each other again.

Emma kicks the bedroom door closed and gently lays Regina down on the bed and hovers over her.

With a huff, Regina looks at her. "I'm not a flower, Emma."

"Noted," Emma says, slamming her thigh between Regina's legs and pressing down on top of her. She grins at the moan that rips through Regina, swallowing the last remnants with a kiss.

Regina scrapes her nails down Emma's back. She deepens the kiss with Emma and runs a hand over Emma's breast, pleased to find an erect nipple. She rolls the nipple in between her fingers, finding a source of instant gratification for Emma as Emma uses the sensation as motivation to rock her hips hard against Regina. Regina lifts her own leg and settles it between Emma's.

When she feels the pressure, Emma moans and move to suck on Regina's neck, nipping at her pressure point. They start moving together, grinding into each other as their underwear becomes soaked.

A loud crash stops them, but it's the booming voice that has them leaping to their feet on opposite sides of the bed. "Stop whatever the hell is going on in here!" Henry yells, hands covering his face.

Emma sees red. "What in the actual fuck are you doing in here?"

"Emma!" Regina yells at her. Regina fixes her dress and nods for Emma to do the same.

Emma rolls her eyes and yanks down the hem of her dress. "For fucks sake, Henry, we aren't naked."

"Emma," Regina hisses the warning, and it has both Henry and Emma shrinking back a bit.

Henry slowly lowers his hand, peeking at both with just one eye before sighing and dropping his hand.

Emma takes a step forward then shakes her head and steps back again, crossing her arms instead. "Why, Henry, are you in here?"

"Because this isn't being careful."

"What?"

Henry looks at Regina. "You said there are physical and emotional aspects to sex. Are you being careful with Ma's emotions?"

"Henry," Emma says through clenched teeth. "I think we are plenty old enough to ensure we are doing what's right for us."

"Emma," Regina begins softly.

"We are your parents. We do not need you interrupting us just because you're pissed you had to have the talk."

"That's not what this is about!" Henry yells back. "I'm trying to protect you."

"Maybe I don't need your protection."

"Emma," Regina says more loudly, but no one takes notice.

"Well you sure as hell aren't doing much to protect yourself."

"That's bullshit, Henry, and you know it."

"Oh, really?" he responds with his arms crossed.

"Emma," Regina states firmly. Emma and Henry both turn to her. "He's right."

"About what?" Emma says throwing up a hand.

"This isn't us being careful. This is us rushing our feelings and reacting to our desires without thinking of potential consequences."

"It felt pretty good to me," Emma states.

"Ew," Henry mumbles and turns to leave.

Emma rushes forward and grabs his arm to turn him back. "You aren't gettin' out of this, kid."

Regina looks at Henry. "Henry, I'm sorry. I don't want to be a hypocrite, and you're right."

Emma's head snaps over to her. "You're okay with him crashing in on us?"

Regina shakes her head and glares at him. "Oh, no. Don't ever do that again, Henry."

Henry nods quickly.

Emma stares at him then shoves him lightly out of the room. "Go to bed."

"But-" he stops then simply nods at her expression, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Emma collapses on the bed. "I hate that kid sometimes."

"No, you don't," Regina responds, watching Emma.

She shakes her head. "No, I don't. But I'm not happy with him."

"You don't have to be."

Emma rolls her head back to look at Regina. She holds up a hand, hoping to coax Regina to sit down next to her.

Regina gives her a small smile. "I could use a cup of coffee." She moves out of the room, leaving Emma strewn across the bed in a frustrated, confused heap.


	17. Chapter 17

With a cup of coffee in each hand, Regina enters the bedroom finding Emma now changed into shorts and a tank top. They just stare at each other for a moment before Regina moves further into the room, handing a cup to Emma who promptly sets it down.

"I'm sorry about tonight," Regina starts.

Emma shrugs. "You didn't make Henry come in here, but you did agree with him."

"But he was right."

Emma laughs. "In what world was he right?"

Regina sits on the bed across from Emma, putting her own mug down. "I can't call you my love, but I can have sex with you?"

Emma shakes her head. "No. We were not having sex. You were about to make love to me, and that kid has no clue what that means."

"I want to be with you, Emma. I am trying to understand what all of these emotions mean, and I don't want to just pull you along."

"It's too late for that, Regina. I have been in love with you for years, and you've just been loving flirting and teasing. You demanded to know my feelings yet refused to ask yourself the same question. I laid it all for you, and now I'm just your experiment."

Regina stiffens. "Experiment?"

"For you to test out your feelings on. Don't remember what it feels like to love so let's see how long the swan will stick around and let your poke her." Emma shakes her head and stands, wiping away a tear.

Regina reaches out for her hand, but Emma pulls back. "Emma, let me explain."

"I'm too tired for this." She walks to the door but stops when she hears Regina stand. "Please don't follow me."

With the sun beaming through the blinds, Regina stirs awake and sighs when she sees Emma's dress from last night folded on the dresser. She grabs the nearly full coffee mug from the night stand, hardly touched, and leaves the room.

Henry pokes his head up from his bowl of cereal and just stares at her. He notices the tear streaks stained on her cheeks. "I'm really sorry," he mumbles.

"I know you are," she says as she steps past him into the kitchen. She dumps out her mug and moves to get more coffee, but sees that the machine is turned off. "Where's your mother?"

"Huh?"

Regina spins around. "Emma. Your mother. Where is she?"

Henry shrugs and plays with his cereal. "She left before I got up. Sent me a text about starting early at work."

"That's wonderful," Regina says with a sigh.

"I told you to be careful with her emotions," Henry says quietly.

"Do you really want to have this conversation right now, Henry?"

Henry pushes his cereal bowl back. "Yes, actually, I do."

Regina just stares at him.

He clears his throat and straightens up as much as he can. "Ma is not doing well, and I don't think you're helping."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, she's not here right now, is she?" He gestures around the apartment. "I don't think you're trying hard enough."

Regina moves around the kitchen to start the coffee machine. "How exactly am I not trying hard enough? I'm trying to do what she asks of me, and I'm being open."

"Are you really though?"

Regina nods once. "Yes."

"Do you love her?"

Regina turns to face him. "You know I do."

"Are you in love with her?" He looks at her hopefully, and it breaks her heart.

"I don't know, sweetie."

His hopeful look turns to anger. "How can you not know? How can you possibly not tell if you are in love with someone?"

"I don't know, Henry. I don't remember what it's like to be in love. I've intentionally pushed those feelings out of my heart."

Henry stands up. "Wait, if you don't remember what it feels like, then how do you know what you're feeling isn't exactly that, you being in love with Ma?"

Regina's eyes widen. "I guess I don't know."

Henry smiles and pumps a fist. "You're in love with her. You're totally in love with her."

"Maybe I am." Regina turns back to the coffee machine and lets a small smile grace her lips.

Emma sits at her desk typing, her supervisor hovering over her as they talk about something on the screen.

Regina rounds the corner, a boxed lunch in hand, and stops when she sees the gorgeous red headed supervisor leaning over Emma, her breasts only inches from Emma's face, and her fingers in Emma's hair. She grits her teeth and drops the lunch on desk.

Emma jumps and turns her head, pulling back quickly when she realizes how close her supervisor's breasts are to her.

The supervisor slowly stands and turns to Regina. "Can I help you?"

Regina ignores her and looks only at Emma. "I brought you lunch."

Emma glances down at the box then back up to Regina. "I'm only working a half day, but thanks." She turns back to the computer.

Regina grabs her shoulder. "Emma, what's going on here?" She looks between Emma and the supervisor.

Emma notices. "She's my supervisor. We're working on a project together."

"Very together, I see," Regina glares at the woman.

The supervisor just smiles. "I'm sorry, but this floor is for employees only, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Regina directs her attention back to Emma. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"That jealousy doesn't suit you." Emma turns back to her computer. "I'll be home in an hour."

Regina just stares at the back of Emma's head then clenches her jaw and turns to leave.

"Oh, and Regina," Emma calls out.

Regina spins back around to see Emma holding the box out to her. "Mind putting this in the fridge for me?" Regina stares at the box then Emma and plasters on a fake smile before slapping the box to the ground. She turns on her heel and swiftly marches out of the office area.

The supervisor tosses her hair over her shoulder and moves back close to Emma. "Where were we?"

Emma glances over her shoulder once last time then sighs and starts working again.


	18. Chapter 18

Emma flings open the apartment door and marches toward her bedroom.

Henry jumps from the couch and puts his hands out to stop her. "She's really mad at you."

"I bet she is," Emma says knocking his hands away.

He steps in front of her again, his back near the bedroom door. "I don't recommend going in there."

"You're not going to stop me, Henry. So do us both a favor, and for once, just stay out of it." She clenches her jaw when she sees that her words struck a chord but just shakes her head and moves past him.

Regina looks up from the book she's reading and watches Emma enter and close the door. "What, no pretty redhead with you?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "Get over yourself. I'm tired of your jealousy."

"It was a little hard not to be jealous when your supervisor was only moments from sitting in your lap."

"Whatever. Why'd you show up there today?"

Regina sets the book down. "I was trying to be a good girlfriend."

"You're not my girlfriend."

Regina stands and rests her hands on Emma's forearms. "Maybe I'd like to be."

Emma stares down at her forearms. She looks up and shakes her head. "I can't."

Regina squeezes Emma's skin under her fingers. "Emma, please, I want to be with you. Let's make this work together."

Pulling her arms free of Regina's grasp, Emma steps back and shakes her head again. "No, Regina. I don't trust you anymore."

"What!" Regina tries to step forward but Emma just steps back again.

"I don't know that I can trust you with my heart again."

Regina moves forward on Emma, backing her all the way to the door, and takes her head in her hands. "Emma, I love you. I love you so much."

Emma looks back and forth between her eyes. "But are you in love with me?"

Regina kisses her lightly. "I think I am."

"You think?" Emma shrugs her off and side steps out of her reach again. "That's not enough for me."

"That's all I have right now, Emma."

"Then maybe you're not enough for me."

Tears stream down both of their cheeks. Regina reaches out for Emma, but Emma just shakes her head and cries more. Regina moves forward anyways and wraps Emma in a hug. She tucks her head into the crook of Emma's neck and cries with her.

"I love you," Regina says.

"I love you too." Emma nods.

Regina kisses Emma's neck and squeezes tighter. "I'm not giving up on us."

Emma clenches her eyes shut and whispers, "Please don't give up."

Pulling back only slightly, Regina runs a hand down Emma's face and pulls her head closer into a kiss.

Emma wraps her arms around Regina and returns the kiss. A sob suddenly breaks free and Emma pushes Regina back.

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"You can't keep doing this to me!" Emma shouts. She puts Regina's suitcase on the bed and starts piling Regina's belongings into it.

Regina rushes forward and grabs Emma's arm. "What are you doing?"

Emma yanks plane tickets out of her back pocket and shoves them in Regina's hand. "You and Henry are going back to Storybrooke today."

She just stares at the tickets then back up at Emma. "But why?"

"Because I can't handle the thought of what comes next for us when you still can't figure out your emotions. If you care so much about me, then you will go home and you will find some real answers."

"Emma, I don't want to leave you." Regina grabs Emma's arm again as she zips up the suitcase.

Emma turns and fully faces Regina. "But I need you to leave me."

Regina looks at the two tickets in her hands again. "When will I see you again?"

"Pick me up at the airport on Saturday like normal. But I'm done waiting, Regina. Saturday night. That's it. If you haven't figured it out by then, then we go back to being just friends. Understood?"

Regina nods her head as more tears threaten to fall.

Emma grabs Regina's face. "I love you, and that's why I can't have you here with me right now."

"That doesn't make any sense," Regina shakes her head weakly.

"It does if you're feeling what I feel," Emma practically whispers back. She leans forward and kisses Regina's forehead, letting her eyes flutter shut as she inhales her scent. When she feels Regina's arms wrap around, she pulls back and shakes her head. "Don't do that."

"Why not?" Regina asks stepping closer again.

"I don't want to remember how it feels if it's never going to happen again." Emma drops her eyes and leaves the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Regina plops down heavily on the edge of the bed, staring at the tickets in her hand.

Out in the living room, Henry chews on his lip as he watches Emma lean against the wall trying to steady her breathing? "Ma?" he asks carefully.

"Get packed," she responds with her eyes closed.

"What?"

"Get packed," she repeats, looking at him this time. "You're going back to Storybrooke. Flight's in two hours."

Henry jumps to his feet. "Why? We were supposed to be here all week."

"Change of plans," Emma says, pushing off the wall to the kitchen. She opens the fridge and reaches for a beer but stops herself. She grabs a water bottle instead.

He stands across the counter from her. "How is this helping Operation Swan-Mills?"

"I think your operation's a bust, kid."

He shakes his head. "I refuse to believe that. You may be blind to each other, but I'm blind to you two. I'm not giving up."

Emma looks at him. "Good. But it's not up to you. It's up to her."

"She wants the same things you want, Ma. Just let her prove it to you."

Emma nods slowly. "I hope you're right, kid. I really do."

At the airport, Emma waves goodbye to Henry then turns to Regina who is still at her side. "You've got a plane to catch, Regina."

"It didn't have to end this way," Regina sighs.

Emma shakes her head. "It's not over yet. You've got plenty of chances to screw it up on Saturday." She tries to give a playful wink, but neither woman is able to honestly smile.

Regina balls up the neck of Emma's shirt and pulls her close. Emma tries to resist, but Regina wraps her arms around her too quickly. "You may want to forget this, but I don't." She kisses Emma's lips.

"No matter what happens, Emma, I love you."

Emma nods and tries to fight a tear.

Regina pecks her lips and takes a step back. "You better not come home with stories about that skank."

Emma rolls her eyes. "There's nothing going on with my supervisor, Regina."

Regina studies her face. "Let's keep it that way." She leans forward for one last kiss. "I don't want anyone touching what's mine."

"But I'm not yours," Emma responds softly.

"Not yet," Regina corrects before taking her bag and meeting Henry at security.


	19. Chapter 19

A blaring alarm wakes Emma the next morning. She sighs when she realizes she's in her bed, knowing that means Regina really is gone. Lumbering out of bed to start her day, she pulls on jeans and a top then scoops her phone off the bed. She jumps when it starts ringing immediately.

"How'd you know I'd be up?"

"I set your alarms, remember?" Henry's tired voice comes through the phone.

"Okay, better question: why are you up?"

"I wanted to make sure you got out of bed today."

Emma leaves her bedroom and moves into the kitchen to make coffee. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Ma, I know you stayed up all night."

Emma narrows her eyes. "So?"

"So, I just wanted to call in case you were ignoring your alarm."

The coffee machine whines to life, and Emma jabs at the buttons impatiently. "Well, I'm up. Thanks, kid. Your mom up?"

"It's either her or a distracted burglar cleaning the kitchen."

Emma furrows her brow. "Why is she cleaning the kitchen?"

"Cause it's one of the only places left she didn't scrub clean last night."

The coffee finally starts pouring a steady stream, and Emma breathes a sigh of relief, hand on her mug. "I'm going to have to chastise her for drowning her emotions in bleach."

"Ha! Yeah, you do that, Ma."

Once the coffee is finished, Emma takes a sip, scrunching her face from the burn, then sips again anyways. "I've gotta get to work, kid, but thanks for checking on me. Take care of your mom for me. Make sure she doesn't drive herself crazy or something."

"I'm ready for it to be Saturday."

Emma closes her eyes. "Yeah, me too, kid. Have a good day. Say hey to my parents and Neal for me. I love you."

"Love you too, Ma."

The phone clicks. Emma stares at the wallpaper of Henry and Regina for a moment then tucks the device in her pocket. She takes a gulp of coffee before sliding the mug across the counter and leaving the apartment.

At the office, Emma makes quick work of the files that were waiting on the corner of her desk, only one left. She reaches for the file and jumps when her hand lands on her supervisor's thigh. She quickly recoils her hand and looks up at the woman who has taken station near the end of her desk.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Emma," she says in a low voice.

Emma shakes her head and smiles. "It's fine. I was just lost in thought and didn't notice you there. Do you need something?"

"The presentation went well."

"Yeah?" Emma asks, turning in her chair to face the supervisor whose dress Emma suddenly notices is far too tight for the workplace.

The supervisor gazes at Emma. "Can I see you in my office?"

Emma nods. "Yeah, of course. Now?"

The supervisor nods so Emma follows close behind, trying not to take notice of how much the woman swings her hips for Emma. Once Emma steps in the office, the door is shut. And locked she quickly realizes.

Emma takes a step away from the woman. "What is this?"

The supervisor closes the space and touches Emma's arm. "There's an opening. A direct report to me. You'd work in an office rather than out there with everyone else, and you and I would work closely on projects." She squeezes Emma's bicep. "Just like the last project."

Emma puts out an arm and steps back to distance herself. "That sounds like a great opportunity, and I appreciate the consideration, but I don't think that is the right position for me."

The supervisor licks her lips as she eyes Emma. "And what is the right position for you?" She presses into Emma's arm.

"Apparently not here," she responds shaking her head. She moves toward the door but is stopped by a hand on her arm.

"I know you want this."

Emma shakes her head. "You're wrong."

Her supervisor runs her hand across Emma's back. "You turned down your little girlfriend right in front of me. I know you just wanted to turn me on."

Emma turns quickly, knocking the woman's hands off of her. "That had nothing to do with you. Get out of your little fantasy. I don't want the position. I'm fine where I'm at."

"I want you to take that job, Emma. I want you in my office every day when I call for you." She leans forward to whisper in Emma's ear. "And coming for me when I let you."

Emma grimaces and shakes her head. "Back off." She shoves the woman away. "I'm not your office play thing."

The woman pretends to pout. "Oh, but you could be." She advances on Emma again.

Emma pushes her back into a chair. "Don't touch me. Don't speak to me. I will never be stepping foot in this office again."

The woman blows hair out of her face and stands, straightening her clothes. "And how do you expect that to work?"

"Because I quit." Emma tugs on the door, but it's locked. She fiddles with the lock with no luck. She groans and pounds on the door.

The supervisor steps up behind her and flushes her body against Emma's.

Emma jerks back violently. "I said don't touch me." She bangs on the door. "Someone open this goddamn door!"

When she hears a key entering the slot from the outside, she releases the handle. The door quickly swings open, and Emma leaps through the doorway, rushing past the key holder.

The supervisor stares down the other woman until she closes the door.

Emma jabs at the elevator button then decides on the stairs. She bolts down them leaping the last four steps of each level until she bursts through the main level out onto the street.

She takes deep, ragged breaths, and clutches at her chest. "Fuck!" she screams at the tops of her lungs.

Once she catches her breath, she pulls her phone out of her pocket and starts a call. She bites her fingernails until she hears the phone click.

"Emma?"

She sighs when she hears Regina's voice. A tear rolls down her cheek, and she smiles. "Hey, Regina."

"Are you alright?"

"No, not even in the slightest," she chuckles in disbelief of what just happened.

"What happened? How can I help? Do you need me to come back down there? I'm sure I can get a flight."

"I know it's not even close to Saturday, but can I come home tonight?"

Regina sounds like she's about to cry at how weak Emma's voice is. "Yes, of course. I'm buying you a ticket right now. Go straight to the airport."

"Thank you. And Regina?"

"Yes?"

Emma takes a deep breath and looks back at the office building. "You were right. My boss is a skank." She turns and walks down the street back towards her apartment.


	20. Chapter 20

Emma wakes with a jolt as the plane lands. She smiles when she realizes she can actually stretch in her first class seat. Regina got her the first ticket she could, and she refused to tell Emma how much it cost.

Walking through the airport, she tries to just people watch, not thinking about the consequences of walking out of her job or of walking right back into her lover's arms after kicking her out only a day ago.

Stepping on the escalator, she's relieved to see Regina waiting at the base. They catch each others' eyes. Emma smiles, but Regina fails to return it.

As soon as Emma takes a step off, Regina wraps her in a tight hug. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

Emma shakes her head. "She didn't hurt me."

Regina studies her face. "But are you okay?"

Emma just shrugs. Regina pulls her in tight. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there. I could have helped you."

"There's nothing you could have done, Regina. This isn't your fault."

Regina looks at her again. "This isn't your fault either."

Emma stares at her. "But I knew she was out of line all the time. I should have said something to someone."

"No. Stop thinking like that. She's a monster, and you have nothing to be sorry for or ashamed of."

"Can we just go home?" Emma asks softly.

Regina nods and wraps an arm around Emma's waist, guiding her to the pickup line.

Henry drops his comic on the coffee table and rushes to the front door when he hears Regina's Mercedes pull in. He throws open the door and runs down to the car to open the door for Emma.

She smiles up at him as she gets out. "Thanks, kid. It's good to see you."

He wraps his arms around her and hugs her. "Are you okay?"

Panicked, Emma's eyes dart over to Regina. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He releases her and steps back. "Mom lied and said you just really wanted to come home."

Regina scoffs. "She obviously did. Here she stands."

Henry stares at Emma. "Ma, are you okay?"

Emma leans forward and kisses his forehead. "I am now. Don't worry about me, kid."

"What happened?"

She shakes her head and pats his shoulder.

He crosses his arms. "But you said we were going to be honest with each other."

Regina steps around the car and wraps her hand around Henry's arm. "Sweetie, some things are best left unsaid. Your mother has had a long day. Let's just welcome her home, okay?"

Henry looks like he wants to argue, looking back and forth between them, but sighs and nods his head. "I'm glad you're here." He gives her another quick hug then goes back to the house.

Regina holds out her hand to Emma, but Emma just stares at it. "I don't want him to know," she states firmly.

Regina nods. "That's why he doesn't. It's your story to tell, Emma. I will support you in whatever decision you make. There is no reason he has to know if you choose not to tell him."

Emma takes Regina's hand and lets her pull her to the mansion. Before they reach the entrance, Emma stops.

Regina turns to her. "Emma?"

"I love you."

Regina smiles. "I love you too."

Emma stares at her with tears forming in her eyes.

Regina moves back to Emma and kisses her cheek. "Tonight is just about you and keeping you safe. We will worry about us tomorrow, or the next day, or even Saturday. You asked for time and space, and I will give you that while still protecting you." Regina places her hand over Emma's heart. "While protecting this. You can trust me with your heart, Emma."

"I want to," Emma whispers.

"Then let me prove it to you." Regina kisses Emma's cheek again and pulls her into the mansion, securing the door behind them.

Emma sits on the couch, knees curled into her chest, watching an oddly heated game of chess between Regina and Henry.

"Check mate," Henry declares.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Henry, how long has it been since you played? That is the second time you've called a false check mate. I taught you better than this."

His eyes scan the board and he sighs, seeing his mistake. "Kids at school don't exactly spend time at the chess table, Mom."

Regina hums. "No, I can only imagine what you all spend your time doing."

"Yeah, don't bother asking," Emma chimes in.

Regina and Henry spin around to look at her, not having heard a word from her during any of their three games.

She smiles at them and moves to stand. "I'd like some coffee."

Regina puts her hand on Emma's knee. "Sit. Let me get it."

Henry jumps to his feet. "No, I'll get it." He trots out of the room before either of his mothers can argue.

Regina moves closer to Emma and kisses her cheek.

Emma smiles at her. "You're so beautiful."

Regina blushes. "As are you, Emma."

"You can say it, my love."

Regina shakes her head. "I'm not going to add to any of your pain."

"Just for tonight, can I pretend that you're mine?"

Regina takes her hand. "Emma, I will be yours whenever you want me."

Emma leans closer to her. "Just for tonight, and then we'll talk. I just really need you."

Regina kisses her hand. "I'm right here, my love." Her eyes widen in surprise when Emma suddenly pulls her into a kiss. She desperately wants to melt in Emma's arms, but she pulls back. "Emma, I can't help but feel like I'm just taking advantage of you right now."

"I don't care."

Regina sits up and scoots a bit back from Emma, resting her hand on her knee. "But I do." She squeezes Emma's hand when Emma looks away. "I mean it when I say I'm right here. I'll be at your side, Emma, but I'm not going to shove an even greater wedge between us tonight by making foolish decisions."

Emma quickly wipes away a tear and looks over her shoulder toward the kitchen. "How long's it take to make a cup of coffee?"

Henry comes out from behind the wall where he was standing to give them privacy. "I've got it, Ma." He hands her the coffee and kisses her forehead. He looks at Regina. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

She smiles and nods at him. "Good night, sweetie."

"Night, Mom." He turns to Emma and frowns as she just stares down at the coffee. "I love you, Ma. I'll see you in the morning."

She looks up and smiles at him. "You too, Henry."

He glances back at Regina again before leaving the room.

Regina sits back against the couch and holds her arms out for Emma. "Come here."

Emma doesn't hesitate one bit to fall against Regina's chest, her face tucked under Regina's chin. "I wish you loved me as much as I love you," she whispers.

Regina clamps her eyes shut. "Let's worry about that tomorrow, my love."


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, Henry bounds down the stairs, and seeing his mothers in the living room, stops in the entry. "Hey," he says cheerily.

Regina smiles and puts a finger to her lips, nodding down at Emma who is laying across her, asleep.

"Sorry," he whispers.

"Coffee?" she whispers back with pleading eyes.

He smiles and nods, leaving for the kitchen.

Emma stirs, so Regina coaxes her back to sleep by running her fingers through her hair and humming lightly. She leans down and whispers in Emma's ear, "I love you so much, Emma, and I'm going to do anything I have to for you to believe that."

Emma wraps her arms around Regina's waist, snuggling as close as she can.

Henry enters the room with coffee in hand. He hands the mug to Regina while keeping his eyes on Emma. "I'm worried about her."

Regina nods. "She's tough, and she has us."

"What should we do?"

"Be a family. We'll spend time with Mary Margaret and David today as one unit. That'll make her happy."

Henry raises an eyebrow and looks at her. "You're going to willingly spend time with my grandparents?"

Regina tries to fight a chuckle. "They are Emma's parents. Maybe one day they'll be my parents too," she says with a wink.

Henry's face lights up, and he bends down to hug her, careful not to disturb Emma.

"I'd like that," Emma mumbles into Regina's chest.

Regina smiles. "Go back to sleep."

"Can't. Hungry," Emma complains.

Regina laughs. "I'm sure your son is starving too."

Henry nods enthusiastically.

"Breakfast here or at Granny's?"

Emma opens one eye and looks up at Henry. He shrugs, not set on either one, so Emma closes her eyes. She smiles. "You and I stay here, and Henry makes breakfast."

"No," he whines.

Regina pats Emma's back. "It is too early in the day for a grease fire." She sets her coffee down and pushes on Emma until she sits up, Emma whining the whole time. "You two play one of those awful video games while I cook." She stands up and wipes at a wet spot on her shirt.

"Sorry," Emma says, ducking her head.

Regina smiles and kisses her head. "It's quite alright, dear. Henry used to drool on me all the time too."

Henry and Emma both groan, embarrassed, as she leaves the room.

As soon as she enters the kitchen, she hears the game console come to life. She knows it's only a matter of minutes before they start yelling at each other over loud gun shots and explosions from the volume being obnoxiously high on the sound system.

Realizing she left her coffee in the living room and that surely Emma's downed half of it by now, she makes a new cup and starts making omelets, thinking a day without pancakes will suit her two favorite people well.

Once she's plated all of their food, she sets the table and goes back to the living, watching from the entryway as the two sit cross-legged, tongues between their teeth, bent over their controllers. She moves behind the couch, leans over, and kisses both of them on the cheek. "Let's eat."

Hunger winning over the desire to play, they both drop their controllers and practically run to the dining room.

Just before sitting down though, Emma turns and grabs Regina, kissing her on the lips. She releases her with a smile and sits down to eat. Regina just stands, stunned, for a moment before joining them.

"Thanks, Mom," Henry says with a full mouth.

She grimaces. "Chew, dear." She watches both of them shovel food in their mouths and shakes her head, choosing to focus solely on her own food.

"So," Emma begins. "What are we doing with my parents today?"

Regina looks up and purses her lips. "Pretending you are asleep is not polite, dear."

Emma gives her a toothy grin. "Sorry," she lies.

Regina rolls her eyes and sits back, crossing her legs. "Your father has been teaching Neal how to fish, and I think it's time he taught you as well. We'll take a boat out, and I'm sure Mary Margaret and I can find something to do while you and Henry fish with David."

Henry and Emma glance at each other then back at Regina. "Really?" Henry asks.

Emma shakes her head. "You never get on boats unless you have to. In fact, you made it pretty clear you kind of hate them. Why do you want to do this?"

Regina puts her hand over Emma's. "Because I know you want to, and your happiness is more important than my comfort right now."

"Wait, what about Neal?" Henry asks, registering Regina didn't list him.

"He may be young, but I am not letting that boy miss school to go fishing."

"Yet Grams' coming? I thought she was teaching again."

"I called in a substitute for her."

Emma and Henry look at each other again. "Seriously?" Emma asks. She gets up and feels Regina's forehead, laughing when Regina knocks it away.

"Stop arguing with me about this before I change my mind," Regina dares either of them to continue.

Henry jumps up from the table. "I'm gonna get changed." He darts out of the room.

"Henry," Emma calls him back into the room. She turns and smiles at him. "Be a doll, and do the dishes."

"Ma," he groans.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Wanna go fishing or not?"

"Fine." He stomps over and takes all of the dishes to the kitchen.

Regina giggles at his petulance as he stalks off.

"You're so cute," Emma smiles at Regina.

Regina looks over at her quickly. "That's not a phrase I hear often."

Emma shrugs and stands up to kiss Regina on the forehead. "It's true." She takes Regina's hand and pulls her to feet. "Let's go change."

Regina studies her face. "You're awfully chipper this morning."

Emma kisses her. "Just let me pretend," she whispers.

Regina's face falls, and she pulls Emma into a hug. "I don't want you to put on a charade for me."

"It's not for you." She pulls back and smiles at Regina. "And maybe after today, it won't be a charade."

Regina nods and kisses her again, letting Emma guide her out of the room.


	22. Chapter 22

Regina sits in a chair, arms and legs crossed, next to Mary Margaret and watches David stand between Emma and Henry, demonstrating how to handle the fishing rod. She has a book open but disregarded on her lap. "I really do detest the water."

Mary Margaret lowers her own book and studies Regina. "Can one of you please be honest with me and tell me what's happening?"

Regina looks over at her for a moment then back to the group in front of her. She sighs. "Something happened to Emma back in Atlanta, and she needed to get away, come home for a bit."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Mary Margaret asks, concern rising in her voice.

Regina shakes her head. "No. Emma can, but it's not my place." She looks over at her again. "But not today. You can ask her any time you want aside from today, understood?"

Mary Margaret watches Emma. "Saying I understand would be a lie, but if you think it's so important that I leave it be, then I will." She looks back at Regina. "But only for today."

Regina nods. "I hardly expect you to give her much time. Don't come back to me if she refuses to tell you, however."

Shifting and releasing an irritated huff, Mary Margaret buries her nose in her book.

Regina just rolls her eyes and lifts her own book to read.

Casting her first line, Emma smiles and settles down in her chair. She watches Henry do the same. David puts a hand on both of their shoulders. She looks up at him. "Thank you."

He smiles down at her. "Emma, I cannot begin to explain how happy this makes me. It makes me feel like I can regain some of your youth back."

Emma tugs at her pole. "A little late for that, Dad."

He pats her arm. "I know. Believe me, I know." He looks over his shoulder at the two frowning faces buried in books behind him. "Wow, they're having a blast."

Emma and Henry glance back and laugh. "They'll learn to get along," Henry says hopefully.

"No they won't," David and Emma say together.

David puts his hand over Emma's. "Don't tug so much."

"I just want to make sure the fishies know my little worms waitin' on them."

He chuckles. "Don't worry. The current's moving the worm. You pull too much, the fish will be deterred."

Emma sighs. "This is gonna take a while, isn't it?"

David prepares his own rod. "Sit back and relax, Emma."

About an hour later, Henry reels in his second fish. Emma, still with no catches glares at him. She pulls in her line. "That's it," she says getting up. "We're switching seats. Move it, kid."

"I don't think it has to do with the seats, Emma," David says, watching her stomp around the boat and shoving Henry out of his seat.

She plops down and looks over at him. "Saying I'm bad at fishing?"

David puts up a hand. "No, just that maybe he has better luck."

"We'll see about that," Emma grumbles, casting her line.

Regina sets her book back down and smiles at Emma's antics. "I'll be right back," she says to Mary Margaret, setting her book on the seat and moving towards the back of the boat.

Henry smiles at her and points at a cooler with two large fish. "Look," he says proudly.

"Well done. Looks like you're a natural." She winks at him when Emma huffs. Bending down in Emma's ear, she whispers, "Maybe you just need some encouragement." She turns Emma's head and kisses her on the lips.

Emma stares at her. "Did you just kiss me in front of my parents?"

David leans away from them, equally as shocked. "Did you just kiss my daughter?"

Mary Margaret rushes forward and puts a hand on David's shoulder. She glares at Regina. "What's going on?"

"Get used to it," Regina says, turning and going back to her seat with a smirk.

Emma's parents direct their attention back to Emma. "Care to explain?" Mary Margaret presses her.

Henry snickers behind them when Emma fails to form any words. "Oh, hush," Emma hisses at him, causing him to laugh more.

"Emma," Mary Margaret says, regaining her attention. They stare at her expectantly.

Emma scratches the back of her neck. "Um, Regina and I may be, possibly, exploring some options… between us… for a relationship."

"I knew something was going on," Mary Margaret shakes her head. "You couldn't have at least given us some warning?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "Mom, you've known Regina most of your life. Give me a break."

David glances between them. "That's kind of the problem, Emma. She's known her through a lot more than you have."

"Yeah, and she changed. A long time ago, I might add. Get over your grudges already."

Mary Margaret closes her eyes and squeezes David's shoulder. She looks back at Emma. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Emma glances over her shoulder at Regina who is pretending to read but still housing a smirk. "Yes, I am." She looks back at her parents. "More than anything."

David squeezes her arm. "Then we support you."

"We do?" Mary Margaret asks weakly.

David sighs. "Yes, we do."

Mary Margaret takes a deep breath. "I'm not happy about this."

"I didn't expect you to be, Mom. Ever consider there's a reason we haven't talked about this?" Emma redirects her attention to the water.

"Fine," Mary Margaret responds, walking back to her chair. She scoots the chair a few feet away from Regina before sitting down.

Regina just laughs quietly and shakes her head.

David puts his hand on Emma's arm again. "You know she loves you, right?"

"Which one?" Emma says, teasing her dad.

He clears his throat. "Your mother."

Emma smiles and nods. "I know. She'll get over it eventually."

David teeters his head from side-to-side. "We'll see." They smile at each other and then refocus on the water.

Soon, Emma's line starts jumping around, and she scoots to the edge of her seat. "Oh crap, what do I do?"

David puts his hands over hers and shows her how to hook and reel in the fish. As soon as it is up out of the water, she holds it up triumphantly and spins around to Regina with a huge smile plastered on her face.

Regina winks at her and goes back to her book. She laughs at the loud sigh coming from Mary Margaret at her side.


	23. Chapter 23

The group leaves the docks, David toting the fishing poles while Henry carries the large cooler now containing enough fish for the whole family.

David lays the poles in the bed of the truck and turns to Regina. "Your house?"

Regina stops and sneers at him. "Absolutely not."

Everyone turns their attention to her.

"If you think for one moment I am letting you gut those things in my kitchen, you are sorely mistaken."

David chuckles. "Alright. Message received."

Henry moves toward his car with the cooler.

"Don't even think about putting that cooler in this car, young man," Regina warns.

Henry stops. "But it's my car."

Regina glares at him until he changes direction toward David's truck.

David pats him on the back. "Come on, you can hold the cooler." Henry climbs in and settles in the truck, cooler in his lap.

Regina holds her hand out to him. "Keys."

He narrows his eyes at her and pulls the keys from his pocket, dropping them in her hand without a word.

Regina slides in behind the wheel, and Emma gets in the passenger seat. Emma pouts, "I don't even get to drive this car?"

Regina smirks at her. "A little too high class for you, isn't it, dear?"

"Ha ha, very funny."

They pull out, following behind the truck. Emma taps her fingers on the door. "So, uh, you kissed me."

"I'm glad to see it resonated with you."

"That was unexpected."

"Hopefully not a disappointment though."

Emma shakes her head. "No, no. I can't say I was disappointed at all. Just not how I was expecting to come out to my parents."

Regina rolls her eyes. "You didn't appear to have much of a plan there anyways." She glances at her then back at the road. "I heard you say we are exploring a relationship."

Emma looks at her. "Aren't we?"

Regina nods. "I certainly hope so."

"Good, then we are."

Regina smiles lightly and lays a hand on Emma's thigh. Emma puts her own hand on top of Regina's and looks out the window. "Thank you for today."

"Don't thank me yet. It's not over."

Emma looks back at her. "What do you mean?"

Regina smirks. "You still have to gut and clean the fish."

Emma shakes her head. "I'll just make Henry do it. He's more into that stuff than I am."

"No, you won't. This is all part of the experience. If Neal can do it, so can you."

"Gross." Emma grimaces and shakes her whole body.

"You have no idea, my love."

Emma squeezes Regina's hand, at least temporarily happy to hear the name she so desperately wants to be called.

When they arrive at the home, Emma stops Regina from getting out of the car. "Are you going to kiss me in front of my parents again?"

"I try not to preplan our intimacy, dear."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Regina."

"I suppose I should allow your mother a slight reprieve simply for being in her home."

"How generous of you."

Regina turns to Emma. "Does it bother you that I kissed you?"

"No," Emma says slowly. "I don't think so."

"Would it bother you if I kissed you again?"

Emma shrugs. "I'm really not sure. What if things don't work out? We have to go through all of this with my parents then suddenly we aren't actually a couple, and we sent my mom on some spiral for nothing. What happens if-"

Regina grabs Emma's face. "Stop. There is no need to panic right now. We've kissed each other an awful lot recently. The one on the boat and the one I'm about to give you now that your parents are in the house don't have to mean anything more than they did yesterday or the day before."

Regina captures Emma's lips in a soft kiss. She pulls back to smile at Emma, but Emma yanks her back into the kiss, begging for more.

When breathing starts becoming an issue, Regina pulls back and puts her thumb over Emma's lips. "Okay, if this keeps going it will turn into more."

Emma tries to pull her closer again, but Regina resists. "What if I want it to be more?"

"Then it will need to wait until we are not in your parents' driveway."

Emma huffs and sits back in her seat. "Fine," she grumbles, getting out of the car. She waves to Grace who is just leaving the house from babysitting but is startled by a shove to her stomach. She looks down to see a very angry Neal beneath her. "Whoa, what the heck, Neal?"

He stomps on her foot.

She steps back away from her. "Chill out. What'd you do to him?" she yells at Grace who simply waves and walks off. Putting her hand out to stop Neal, she smiles when she sees Henry rush out of the house after Grace. She looks over at Regina and sees the same smile adorning her face.

"You're mean!" Neal yells at Emma.

Regina comes around the car and kneels next to the young boy. "Sweetheart, why are you beating up your sister?"

He wraps his arms around her neck and cries.

She rubs his back and looks up at Emma who just shrugs.

"Can you tell me why you're so upset?" Regina speaks softly to him.

Through sniffles, he slowly gets out, "I saw her kissing you."

Regina bites her lip not to laugh, and Emma rolls her eyes. Emma pats his head. "Sorry, little man. You had your chance, she's mine now."

He starts sobbing.

"Emma," Regina chastises. "You're not helping."

"What? Little dude needs a reality check."

"He is a baby."

"Um, no. Babies do not sock their sisters in the stomach."

Regina scoops him up and stands. He quickly wraps his legs around her. "I think your stomach will be fine."

"I don't think you need to coddle him."

"And I think you're being a bigger baby than he is." Regina turns and heads for the door. "Come inside."

Emma huffs. Neal looks up from Regina's shoulder and sticks his tongue out at her before tightening his grip on Regina. She narrows her eyes at him and trails behind.


	24. Chapter 24

Regina carries a sobbing Neal into the kitchen. Mary Margaret rushes forward. She tries to take Neal, but he just tightens his grip even more. "What happened?"

"Turns out both of your children are in love with me," Regina smirks at her.

Mary Margaret scowls. "You sound so certain."

"I am." Regina looks at Emma. "You really should stop being so jealous, dear."

Emma puts her hands on her hips. "Oh, like you can talk."

"At least mine were not a little boy. And one of them was warranted."

"Just because one of them was a bitch-"

"Emma!" Mary Margaret and Regina chastise her at the same time as Neal's eyes about bulge out of his head.

She rolls her eyes. "That doesn't excuse your jealousy."

"And yours is excusable?" Regina challenges.

"I'm not throwing a lunch on the ground."

"We haven't eaten yet. Besides, you were just being cruel that day."

Emma crosses her arms. "Still mad at you."

"No, you're not." She turns her head and plants a big kiss on Neal's cheek. "And your brother's winning."

He smiles and bounces up and down in her arms as Emma sucks her teeth.

"Good grief," Mary Margaret mumbles, leaving the three of them.

Henry comes into the kitchen with Grace at his side.

Emma quickly notices they are holding hands. "Can I borrow you, kid?" Emma asks, hand on Henry's shoulder.

He shrugs and follows her after shooting Grace a smile and dropping her hand.

"Hold on," Regina calls. Emma turns back. Regina reaches around her and shoves her hand in Emma's pocket.

"Dang, Regina," Emma jumps.

Regina pulls out Emma's wallet and hands Grace a twenty dollar bill. "Distract him, please." She hands Neal over to Grace.

Grace smiles. "Yes, ma'am."

"And Neal," Regina says, looking at the boy. He looks up expectantly. "I don't want to see you hitting your sister again. Or anyone for that matter. Understand?"

Neal bows his head and nods. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Thank you," Regina smiles at him.

Grace carries Neal to the playroom, ignoring his pleas to go back to Regina.

Regina shoves Emma's wallet back in her pocket causing Emma to jump again. Emma looks around and knocks Regina's hand away, embarrassed. "You could have just asked."

Regina gestures for her to take Henry to another room. "Go, have your talk."

"Wanna come with?" Emma asks.

Henry suddenly looks nervous, looking between his parents.

Regina shakes her head. "I think you can handle it."

Emma nods and takes Henry into the dining room.

"Am I in trouble?" Henry asks nervously.

"Should you be?"

"I hope not."

Emma glances to the playroom, seeing Grace sitting on the floor talking to Neal. "Have you talked to Amelia?"

Henry shakes his head. "No. Should I?"

Emma cocks her head. "Henry. Yes."

"But I don't even know what's between us."

"You seem pretty fond of Grace, and you seem to just enjoy Amelia. Am I wrong?"

"No."

"You've got a few days left here then summer's just around the corner. Why not make the most of it instead of stringing along both girls? That can't make Grace all that happy."

Henry scuffs his shoe on the ground. "Is it bad that Grace doesn't know about Amelia?"

"Henry. Geez kid. I thought I was bad." Emma sighs and shakes her head. "You've got a mess to clean up."

"Hey, so do you," he challenges.

"Yeah, and I'm working on it. So you start working on it too."

David comes in the doorway. "Guys, I need your help with the fish."

Emma grimaces. "Do we really have to?"

"Yep," David nods with a smile. "Let's go."

They both nod and wait for David to leave the room.

Emma turns back to Henry. "After lunch, your mom and I will walk home. You take your car and do something with Grace. As much as it's gonna suck, you've got to have that conversation."

"You and Mom gonna talk too?"

Emma nods. "There's plenty of talking to be had, Henry. No worries. Now let's go get this over with."

Henry laughs at Emma's gag and follows her to the kitchen.

David lays out the fish and three knives. "Alright, let's get started." He looks at Regina who is watching from a chair at the kitchen table. "Would you like to help?"

Regina raises an eyebrow. "I assume you can answer that question yourself, Charming."

"Well, enjoy yourself over there."

"I'm quite content, thank you." Regina leans back in the chair. She sighs when Mary Margaret sits in front of her. "Yes, dear?"

"I don't know what you're up to here, but I'm onto you." Mary Margaret glares at her.

"You're onto me?" Regina raises an eyebrow.

"You heard me. I don't want you hurting Emma. I don't know what's gotten into her, but she seems to honestly care about you, and that makes her vulnerable to all of you."

Regina crosses her arms. "Is all of me so bad?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret smacks a hand down on the table, but not loud enough to draw attention from the kitchen.

"Are you ever going to forgive me, dear?"

"Are you ever going to give me a reason to?"

"What, my dear Snow, have I done recently to you?"

"You mean besides stealing my daughter's heart?" Mary Margaret challenges.

Regina lunges forward, inches from Mary Margaret's face and hisses through clenched teeth, "I did not steal Emma's heart."

Mary Margaret leans back. "I meant emotionally, Regina. Calm down. Although the thought did cross my mind. And this temper is one of the reasons I still don't trust you."

Regina settles back in her chair stiffly. "You are not going to frighten me away from Emma."

"I didn't assume I could. I'm going to ask that you take her into consideration, however, as you carry out your little plan."

"There is no plan here. Your paranoia is starting to grind my nerves."

Mary Margaret crosses her arms. "There's a lot about you that grinds my nerves as well, Regina. Be careful with my daughter. There's nothing I won't do to protect her."

Regina stares at her then glances in the kitchen, seeing Emma nervously watch them. She sighs and looks back at Mary Margaret. "I have no desire to hurt Emma. Whether you believe me or not, I love your daughter very much, and my only plan is to show her that."

Mary Margaret purses her lips. "I still don't trust you."

"No one's asking you to," Regina says, granting her attention solely to the three in the kitchen, hoping to dissuade Mary Margaret from pressing her any further.


	25. Chapter 25

After lunch, Henry pulls Grace from the kitchen. "Would you like to go somewhere with me? Maybe skating?"

Grace smiles. "I'd love to."

Henry rubs his hands on his legs. "Just know that there's something important I need to talk to you about."

She nods slowly. "Okay. Maybe we should skate for a bit first though."

Henry smiles and nods. He takes her hand and doesn't bother saying goodbye as they leave the house.

The adults look toward the entryway when they hear the door shut. "Okay," Emma says. "Guess they're done with us."

Against her better judgment, Regina looks to Mary Margaret. "Would you like help with the dishes?"

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "I can handle my own home, thank you."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Then we will leave you in peace."

Mary Margaret huffs and takes the dishes to the kitchen.

David sighs and gets up. He leans down and hugs Emma. "I had fun today. Thanks for giving it a shot."

Emma smiles at him. "I had fun too." She gets up. "We're gonna just walk home. Maybe we'll see you tomorrow."

He smiles and steps past her, joining his wife in the kitchen.

Emma walks out of the house staring at her hands. "I still can't believe I did that."

Regina laughs at her. "Does this mean you won't be doing it again?"

She shakes her head. "The only good part was eating them, but heck, I can go to the store for that."

"I hope you enjoyed the day nonetheless."

Emma steps in front of Regina and smiles. "Yes, I did. Thank you." She leans to kiss Regina but stops when she sees Mary Margaret in the doorway with her arms crossed. "Gonna tell me what this is all about?"

Regina looks over her shoulder then back at Emma and rolls her eyes. "You're mother just short of threatened my life with you."

"What?"

Regina moves down the sidewalk and Emma follows. "She warned me that if I hurt you, she will essentially stop at nothing to avenge you."

Emma smiles. "Well, that's good to know. I mean, it's not like she could actually do anything to you, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Regina nods. "I suppose she means well for you."

Emma nudges her. "She'll come around eventually."

Regina raises her eyebrow, seeing no need to respond. She turns back, worried, when she realizes Emma has suddenly stopped. "What is it?"

Emma shakes her head. "Never mind. It's stupid." She starts walking again, but Regina stops her. She groans. "I just… Don't make fun of me, okay?"

"Okay, I won't," Regina promises, putting her hands on Emma's biceps.

"We all know that Neal was just a replacement for me, and it actually really pisses me off when you give him a lot of attention and in turn blow me off."

"Emma, he's just a child."

"Yeah, just a child that is living the life I should have had. I don't need him getting you too." She brushes off Regina's hands and moves past her. "Just don't worry about it."

Regina grabs her arm and stops. "No, Emma, I am going to worry about it. I'm sorry how it made you feel. That was never my intention. I'll try to be more cognizant of your feelings. I understand that's a hard situation for you."

"I don't think you really do understand."

"Well, I'm trying, Emma." She squeezes Emma's hand. "Please don't pull away from me."

Emma slowly nods her head and clutches onto Regina's hand to continue down the sidewalk.

Regina nudges Emma out of her thoughts. "What do you think about Henry and Grace?"

"I think that kid takes after us. He's got some explaining to do with both girls."

Regina nods. "Hopefully he at least has fewer arguments than we do."

Emma smiles at her. "We can only hope." They walk in silence for a few minutes before Emma's nerves get the better of her. "Can we talk?"

Regina studies her face. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Whatever the hell is going on between us."

Regina stops them and pulls Emma into a light kiss. "Do you really think that's a good idea right now?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Emma," Regina rests her hands on Emma's stomach. "You haven't even dealt with your boss yet and you want to try dealing with us?"

Emma shakes her head. "There's nothing to deal with with my boss."

"Yes, there is. You have to talk to your employer about this. When you go back, you will still have your job like normal minus one terrible woman."

Emma shakes her head even harder. "I'm not dealing with this." She tries to step past Regina, but Regina stops her again.

"Emma, how many women do you work with?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Do you honestly think you are the first or last woman she has come onto like this? She assaulted you, Emma."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Emma deflects.

"No, it's an understatement." Regina puts a hand on Emma's cheek. "You have to deal with this, and not just for your sake. I will help you in every possible way and will be at your side the entire time."

Emma steps back from her. "You know, today was a good day. Do we really have to ruin it now?"

"I'm not trying to ruin anything, my love."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Can we just let it go?"

Regina steps forward and runs her hands down Emma's arms. "I don't think it's that simple."

Emma groans. "I hate all of this. Every fucking bit of this is driving me crazy. Henry's driving me crazy with his attitude. My mom's driving me crazy with her grudge towards you. And you're driving me crazy by just fucking being you."

Regina drops her hands and furrows her brow. "What exactly is it about me that drives you crazy?"

Emma huffs, irritated at her own inability to shut up, and takes Regina's arm to start walking. "Nothing. Let's just go."

Regina yanks her arm free. "No. Explain what you mean."

"Or what?" Emma asks, matching her glare.

"What is going on? This isn't some challenge. What changed in the last ten minutes from complaining about fish guts to me being the source of your distress?"

"And the good day goes down the shitter," Emma responds dramatically.

"Talk to me," Regina demands.

Emma puts out her hands. "Maybe I don't want to."

"I don't care. Talk to me. What is so bad about me that I drive you crazy?"

"You're just too beautiful," Emma coos.

Regina takes a step forward and glares at her. "Don't you dare mock me, Emma Swan."

Emma leans forward, only inches from Regina's face. "I. Don't. Want. To. Talk."

Regina puts her hand on Emma's chest to push her back out of her face. "See yourself home, Miss Swan."

Emma throws her hands up and groans. "That's fucking perfect." She stomps off across the street, away from Regina.


	26. Chapter 26

Emma throws open the door to the mansion, her eyes immediately darting around. "Regina?" She finds an empty kitchen. "Regina?" An empty dining room. "Regina, where are you?" An empty living room. She moves to the study and opens the door.

Regina looks up from a book, a glass of cider in her hand. She raises her eyebrow at Emma.

"I was calling for you," Emma says, stepping into the room.

"I heard you."

"Then why didn't you answer?"

Regina sets her book down on the table and sips her drink. "I wasn't sure I wanted you to find me."

"This isn't a very good hiding place."

"Can I help you with something?"

Emma moves further into the room. "Can we talk?"

Regina sets down her drink. "The last time we tried that, things did not turn out well."

Emma kneads her hands. "I was kind of a jerk."

"You were seething to the point that you were actually spitting in my face. I'd be inclined to use a more direct term than jerk."

Running her hand down her face, Emma points at the couch, silently asking to sit down. Regina stares back at her. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"I won't stop you."

Emma drops down. "You're being kind of cold."

"Do you deserve anything else?"

Emma falls back on the couch. "I'm sorry. Okay?"

"No." Regina grabs her book again and starts to read.

Emma pulls the book out of her hands and drops it back on the table. The glare she receives almost makes her regret that decision. Instead of running away like her instincts are yelling at her to though, she scoots closer and puts her hand on Regina's knee, surprised when it isn't instantly knocked away.

"I'm sorry. I never should have gotten in your face, and I never should have yelled at you. I didn't even mean what I was saying. I just got so overwhelmed that everything boiled over, and you unfortunately got the brunt of it."

"Where did you go?"

Emma shrugs. "Just walked around aimlessly until I felt like a normal human again."

Regina nods and folds her hands in her lap. "Emma, if we don't start dealing with our issues when they arise, we are going to end up killing each other."

Emma laughs but stops when she sees how serious Regina is. "Oh, alright."

"Tomorrow, we are contacting the HR team at your office and handling the situation with your supervisor." Regina holds up her hand before Emma can speak. "Let me be clear, Emma. I'm not asking you for permission. We are going to do this tomorrow, starting first thing in the morning."

Emma takes a deep breath then nods with her eyes closed. "Even if I don't want to?"

"Yes." Regina rubs her thumb over Emma's hand on her knee. "Tonight, I need you to listen to me. At this rate, if I wait until Saturday, I'm afraid I'm going to lose you."

"I don't know, Regina." Emma swallows and readjusts on the couch, unable to make herself comfortable.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"You, of all people, rejecting me." She pulls her hand away and picks at her jeans.

"Do you honestly think I would be sitting here right now just to reject you? Because let me tell you, Emma, if that were the case, you would not have walked away from that little conversation we had unscathed."

Emma grimaces and leans back a bit.

Regina lifts Emma's chin until she looks at her. "I love you, and more than that, I am in love with you. I understand that you may have a hard time believing that right now. I haven't been the easiest person to deal with."

"Neither have I," Emma adds.

Regina shakes her head. "No, you haven't, but I realize that I have put you through a lot for quite some time. I'm tired of stringing you along. I don't want to run in circles with you anymore."

"What do you want?"

"I want to make a decision, and I want to move forward."

Emma looks back and forth between Regina's eyes, looking for any indicator of false hope. "Do we have to make a decision right now?"

Regina shakes her head. "No, we can talk more tomorrow after we handle other business."

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" Emma asks just over a whisper. "Just sleep, I mean."

Regina smiles. "Yes, but you're sleeping with me. I have no desire to be in that bed of yours."

Emma releases a deep sigh. She looks up at the clock, realizing it's near Henry's curfew. "Is he here?"

"Henry? No, not yet." Regina notes the time as well.

"Kid better hurry up."

Regina props herself against the arm rest and holds her arms out to Emma. "We'll wait up for him. Let me hold you."

Emma hesitates and chews on her lip.

"Emma Swan, get your ass over here." Regina leans forward and grabs Emma's hands to yank her into her arms.

Emma smiles and snuggles into Regina's chest. "Pushy pushy."

Regina pokes Emma in the ribs causing her to squirm and let out a tiny squeal. They both smile and snuggle into each other.

Regina jumps when she hears the front door fly open a few minutes later.

Emma looks up at the clock. "Just made it."

"We're in the study," Regina calls out.

Henry walks in and smiles at them. "You guys good?"

Regina nods. "How are things with Grace?"

Henry runs his hands through his hair and shrugs. "She wasn't exactly pleased with me."

Emma turns in Regina's arms to look at him. "Are you guys good?"

He shrugs again. "She had me take her home after I told her about Amelia. Said she needed to think."

"That makes sense," Emma responds. "Give her some time."

Regina smiles at him. "It's obvious that she cares a lot about you, Henry. She'll call you soon."

Henry nods. "Yeah, I guess."

"What about Amelia?" Emma asks.

"What about her?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "Did you talk to her?"

Henry holds up his hands. "Whoa, one girl at a time, okay? I will talk to her tomorrow."

Regina shakes her head. "Be careful, Henry. The heart is not something to be taken lightly." She looks down at Emma with an apologetic smile.

Emma leans up and kisses her. "It's okay," she whispers.

"Alright then, good night," Henry says, leaving the room.

Regina and Emma chuckle. Regina pushes on Emma to sit up. "Let's go to bed."

Emma pushes her back down though, easily overpowering Regina. "Just a few more minutes."

"Well, I was planning on cuddling with you in bed too."

Emma looks up her. "Okay." She jumps up and yanks Regina to her feet. "To bed," she announces, dragging Regina behind her.


	27. Chapter 27

Regina slowly opens her eyes, noting the moonlight streaming through the blinds. She goes to roll over, stopping when she realizes Emma's arm is wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against the warm body, their legs entangled. She smiles and suddenly becomes acutely aware of what woke her.

Emma pushes down the collar of Regina's silk pajama top and lays soft kisses along Regina's neck and the little exposed patch of her back she can get to.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," Regina says, running her hand up and down the arm draped across her.

She feels Emma smile into her neck, obviously proud that she managed to wake up Regina. "That got boring."

"Oh? And what else do you have planned?"

Emma shifts back, rolling Regina on her back. She looks down at her, biting her lip, before ducking her head for a kiss.

Deepening the kiss, Regina puts her hands on Emma's back and pulls her down flush on top of her, letting Emma settle between her legs.

One hand fisted in Regina's locks, Emma's other hand slowly trails over Regina's torso, just barely avoiding her nipples.

Regina runs her hands down Emma's back and cups her ass, pushing Emma's hips down into hers. They both moan at the contact. Regina opens her eyes, she shoots up a hand between them, pressing Emma's face back from hers a bit.

Emma furrows her brow and waits for Regina to say something.

"We should wait."

Emma shakes her head. "I'm tired of waiting."

She kisses Regina again, immediately requesting access which Regina denies. Emma moves her hand up, cupping and squeezing Regina's breast. The unexpected moan lets Emma deepen the kiss.

Regina responds to every roll of her nipple and every drive of Emma's hips.

Emma kisses her way from Regina's lip to her neck. Nipping at her pulse point, then dragging her tongue to Regina's earlobe, Emma takes the lobe between her teeth and husks while driving her hips forward, "I want you."

"I want you too," Regina responds, breathy. Her nails drag down Emma's back as Emma sets on a mission to kiss every inch of Regina's neck.

They hear footsteps in the hall. Regina chuckles at Emma's growl. "I swear, if that boy steps in here right now, I'll- I'll turn him into a toad."

Regina rolls her eyes. "No need for empty threats, dear." She waves her hand and the door disappears.

The footsteps stop for a moment, likely shocked at the new wall, then continue.

Emma kisses Regina's neck. "What's that kid doing up anyways?"

Regina runs her fingers through Emma's hair. "He probably never ate and realized he's hungry."

"I'm hungry too."

"Seriously?" Regina says, not hiding her irritation.

Emma bites her lip. "Just not for food." She drops her hand, cupping Regina's core, and smiles at how Regina's back arches off the bed and she can't fight her moan.

Emma slowly walks her fingers up Regina's torso then starts making quick work of the buttons of her top, planting a kiss at each new exposed portion of skin.

Halfway through the buttons, Regina groans and grabs Emma's hands. "Stop."

"What?" Emma's mouth hangs open, too focused on what lies beneath that shirt.

"Emma, we can't do this."

"No, we most certainly can." Emma leans down and runs her tongue over one of Regina's nipples through the thin shirt.

Regina bites hard on her lip and fights not to let her body react, but it's not enough, and Emma notices.

Emma smiles and starts working on the buttons again. She releases the last button and slowly lets the shirt fall open. When Regina's breasts are finally exposed, she can't help but stare at them for a moment before dropping down, taking one into her mouth and teasing the other with her palm and fingers.

Regina grips Emma's hair at the back of her head and pushes Emma down against her breast. Her breathing increases, and she starts moving her hips involuntarily.

Emma switches to give the other breast attention and runs a hand down Regina's stomach. She slips her hand under Regina's waist band, dipping a finger into her wet folds. She moans at how ready Regina is for her.

At that instant, Regina pulls Emma's head up off of her and yanks the hand out of her pants. "Stop."

Emma tries to dip her head back down, but Regina grabs her face, forcing her attention. "Stop."

"I don't want to," Emma responds quickly, trying to kiss Regina.

Regina pushes her back, sensing the movement. "You have to."

"Why?" Emma huffs.

"Because I asked you to."

Emma groans and drops all of her weight down on top of Regina, sighing and grumbling into Regina's chest. Her head is perfectly between Regina's breasts, and Emma just secretly hopes Regina lets her stay there.

Regina rubs Emma's back. "This is for the best."

"No, it's not," Emma complains, her words muffled against Regina's skin.

Regina chuckles. "You'll thank me later."

Emma looks up. "No, I'm almost positive I won't." She studies Regina's face. "Do you not want me?"

"Emma, I think you can tell that I want you."

She lowers her head again. "Yeah, physically. But that's cause I'm sexy and shit."

Regina hums. "That you are, dear."

Emma wraps her hands under Regina's back. "Do you not want me though?"

"Emma," Regina tries to move Emma's head up to look at her, but Emma just tightens her hold. "Emma, I love you as a person, not a body. Your body just happens to be a nice benefit to go along with your sparkling personality."

Emma releases a long irritated breath against Regina's chest, tickling her skin and causing her to giggle. "You're cute when you giggle."

Regina stops. "I do not giggle."

"Do to," Emma responds, planting a kiss on the skin beneath her. "And it's cute."

Regina runs her hands through Emma's hair and watches her for a moment. "I'm sorry that I stopped us."

"Me too," Emma states loudly.

"I think it's for the best."

"I highly doubt that, but okay."

Regina tries to get Emma to look up again, but it's no use. "Listen to me, Emma. Today was such a roller coaster of emotions, and you still don't honestly trust I feel about you. How is rushing our intimacy going to improve any of that?"

Emma shrugs. "I slept. I thought. I feel better." Emma finally lifts her head. "So kiss me."

Regina leans forward and captures Emma's lips, but before Emma can press any further, she leans back again. "I will kiss you all night. I will even lay naked with you. But we are not having sex tonight."

Emma sits up and buttons Regina's top. "There is no way I am letting you lay here naked if I don't get to touch you. What kind of evil is that?"

Regina smiles and pulls Emma down into a kiss. "Then just hold me."

Emma scrunches her face then plops down on the bed next to Regina. "Fine. Come here, tease."

Regina swats her chest. "I am not a tease."

"Could have fooled me." Emma laughs when she gets an even harder swat. "Just get over here already." She wraps her arm around Regina and tugs her close until Regina's head is in the crook of her neck. "Your boob is poking me, and all I want to do is touch it."

Regina presses closer and shushes her. "Go to sleep."

"Tease," she mumbles before closing her eyes.


	28. Chapter 28

Emma sits on the edge of the bed the next morning, neglecting to put real clothes on. She jumps when a door suddenly appears.

Regina lays a hand on her shoulder. "You seem on edge."

Emma shakes her head. "Just thinking."

"Careful, dear," Regina teases. She moves past Emma and reaches for the door.

Before she has a chance to open the door more than a few inches, Emma slams it shut. She turns and looks at Emma who has the door stiff-armed and is breathing heavily. "Emma?" Regina asks carefully.

Suddenly, Emma grabs the back of Regina's head and pulls her into a hard kiss. Regina steps closer, running her hands under Emma's shirt and across her abs. She leans back just enough to talk. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the kiss, but is everything okay?"

Neglecting to answer, Emma spins them and pins Regina against the wall, kissing her deeply again.

Regina turns her head, Emma's response to start kissing her neck. "Emma, you're making me nervous."

Emma stops and pulls back to look at her. "Do you love me?"

Regina nods. "You know I do."

"Are you in love with me?"

Regina smiles. "I wasn't lying when I told you that last night, and I feel like an idiot for not realizing it sooner."

"Say it." Emma's eyes study every inch of Regina's face.

"I'm in love with you."

Emma presses forward and kisses her again, leaning into her body.

Regina wraps her arms around Emma. She gasps when Emma shoves a thigh between hers and presses on her core. "Emma, are you sure about this?"

Emma steps back and tears her own shirt off, revealing her hard abs and breasts that Regina suddenly can't tear his eyes from. She advances on Regina again, grabbing Regina's hands and placing them on her now bare breasts.

They moan into each other's mouths. Emma presses as close to Regina as she can.

Regina presses lightly against Emma's throat. "Emma, I want you to be sure. I don't want to hurt you."

Emma pulls back and stares at her. "Regina. Shut up." She pulls Regina forward off the wall to remove her shirt, glad to see Regina not fight her.

Wrapping her arms tight around Regina and kissing her again, Emma walks them to the bed, both enjoying the feeling of their breasts together.

As soon as they hit the bed, Emma starts kissing down Regina's chest. She kisses her breasts, sucking on the nipples and releasing them with a pop, before moving farther down her body. She slides her fingers under Regina's waistband and studies Regina's face for any indicator that she should stop. When Regina nods, Emma slowly pulls her pants and underwear off together, licking and biting her hip bones then thighs as they expose to her.

Regina moans and shudders under Emma's touch. Completely exposed, she lets her legs fall open when she feels Emma's nails dragging across her thighs.

Emma peppers kisses across her folds before running her tongue between them. She moans at the taste that suddenly overwhelms her senses.

Regina pouts when Emma removes her tongue and moves up her body. She opens her eyes to see Emma hovering over her. She leans up and kisses her. "I love you," Regina says, laying back.

Emma smiles and moves back between Regina's legs, immediately dipping her tongue into Regina. She runs a hand up Regina's stomach to palm one of her breasts.

Regina grasps the hand over her breast, applying more pressure, while the other hands weaves into Emma's hair.

Emma drags her tongue up, drawing shapes around Regina's clit. Regina rocks her hips and tightens her grip in Emma's hair, needing more friction.

Regina's increasing moans motivate Emma further. She moves her hand up, sliding two fingers into Regina, smiling when Regina gasps and arches off the bed at her touch.

Both having waited far too long for this moment, it only takes Emma a few pulses before she's curling her fingers inside Regina and tugging her close to a climax.

"Emma, don't stop," Regina begs.

Emma increases the speed of her tongue and presses hard in Regina's core, feeling her walls tighten. Moments later, Regina lets out a deep moan and Emma's hand becomes soaked in Regina's warm sex.  
She kisses Regina's stomach and leaves her fingers in, wanting to let Regina ride out her orgasm, but Regina yanks her up and kisses her passionately.

Regina slams Emma's back into the bed and straddles her. Biting her lip, she runs her eyes and hands over Emma's chest. She leans down and bites Emma's earlobe. "My turn."

Emma grabs her head and pulls her down into a kiss.

They spend the rest of the morning lost in each other, finally exploring their love.


	29. Chapter 29

Emma and Regina climb down the steps hand-in-hand. "Ready for today?" Regina asks, guiding Emma to the study.

Emma stops her. "You do realize you have to at least feed me first?"

"Forget where the kitchen is, dear?"

Emma sticks out her tongue and heads for the kitchen while Regina goes into the study. Rounding the corner, she sees Henry with his head in the fridge and his face scrunched. She walks behind him and peers over his shoulder, matching his expression.

"I feel ya, kid. We've got to go shopping on our own." She pats him on the shoulder and goes to check the pantry.

Henry pulls jelly out before closing the fridge. "It's nice to see you two felt like joining the land of the living."

Emma glances back at him, peanut butter and bread in her hand. "Feel abandoned?"

He shrugs and pulls a knife from a drawer. "Started wondering if you guys forgot you had a son."

They meet at the island to prepare their sandwiches. Emma opens the jars and holds up the knife. "Better grab a second knife so we're not shot for blending the jars."

Henry chuckles and follows the suggestion. "So, how's all that going?"

Emma smiles at him. "A hell of a lot better than it has been."

"Good. Where do you stand?"

"You know, I'm not really sure." Emma smirks. "We didn't do much talking."

Henry shakes his whole body and gags. "Please don't say another word."

Emma laughs. "Your mother would kill me, and, you know, that's weird, so don't worry."

"What are we doing today?" Henry asks around a bite of his sandwich.

Emma looks down and picks at her own sandwich. "I have to deal with the reason I came here before we do anything else."

"Are you ever going to tell me?"

Emma glances at him and shrugs. "I'm honestly not so sure, kid. Just know that it's for a good reason though, okay?"

Henry sighs and nods. "Alright. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm not gonna lie, you may not want to be here."

"Why?"

Emma looks at him. "I'm likely to… freak out."

His eyebrows raise high. "Okay," he responds slowly.

"Go out with Grace," Emma suggests, trying to lessen the tension.

Henry shakes his head. "She hasn't called me back."

"Did she tell you to go away or demand space?"

"No."

Emma reaches across the island and squeezes his hand. "Then go to her, and show her what she means to you. Believe me, it's worth it."

He slowly nods. "I'll give it a shot. Will you text me when I can come home?"

"Henry, you're safe to come home whenever you want, but yes, I will text you when we've finished our business."

He smiles and leaves the kitchen, mouthful of sandwich.

With her sandwich in hand, Emma goes to the study and closes the door, finding Regina at the desk with a computer open.

Regina looks up and rolls her eyes. "I'm glad to see your pallet has matured over the years."

Emma leans over the desk and takes a big bite of the sandwich in Regina's face.

Regina laughs and puts her hand on Emma's face, pushing her back. "You're disgusting."

Smiling through her mouthful, Emma moves around the desk to look over Regina's shoulder. She stops chewing when she sees that an email is opened and addressed to the HR members at her office. Regina's already typed out an opening statement of intent. Her eyes settle on the last sentence: "Below is a detailed report of the incident on the above listed date."

Emma swallows the hardly chewed food. "What is this?"

Regina gets up from the chair and gestures for Emma to take a seat. "This is what you have to do. I already called the office requesting information. They require an incident report."

Emma shakes her head. "I am not typing that shit out."

"It's either type it out in the security of your home with me at your side or go into the office and rehash it by yourself."

After slamming the laptop shut, Emma swiftly leaves the room.

Regina picks up the laptop and follows her. She finds Emma sitting on the couch aimlessly flipping through channels on the TV. She sets the laptop on the table in front of Emma and opens it back up.

Emma leans forward and navigates the mouse pad to close out the email then sits back and directs her attention to the TV again.

Regina reaches over and opens the email again. "I already saved the draft, Emma. Would you not rather get this over with?"

"I don't want to deal with it."

Regina scoots against Emma's side and lowers the remote. "What were you expecting today to be?"

Emma puts up her hands. "I don't know. I didn't exactly spend much time dwelling on it."

"Well this is what needs to happen." She kisses Emma's cheek and runs her hand through golden locks. "Do you want to dictate to me and I type?"

Emma shakes her head quickly.

"Okay, that's fine. I'll do whatever you need. You never even have to show me what you write."

Groaning, Emma drops her head against her arm. "This is stupid."

"Do you want to do it out here or at the desk?"

"The desk," Emma grumbles, lumbering off the couch.

Regina scoops up the computer and follows Emma back to the study. She fights a chuckle when Emma throws herself into the chair, draping her arms over the sides and laying her head back. "Here you go," she says sliding the computer in front of Emma.

Emma sits up and reads over the pre-typed paragraph then stares at the white space where the cursor blinks, waiting for her story to unfold.

After a few minutes, Regina pulls up a chair and sits across the desk from Emma waiting patiently.

It takes nearly ten minutes before Emma even lays her hands on the keys. A shaky breath starts off her slow typing. As her typing speeds, the backspace starts becoming the favored key accompanied by grunts of frustration.

Regina watches Emma's expressions intently. When she sees a tear fall, she immediately moves around the desk and pushes Emma back from the computer. She takes Emma's face, kissing her cheeks, then forehead, then eyelids, before wrapping her arms around her neck in a hug.

As soon as Emma feels Regina pulling back, she pulls her down into her lap and buries her head in Regina's neck, slowly breathing in her scent. "I still think this is stupid."

Regina nods. "I know, my love. This needs to be done, however."

Emma huffs and kisses Regina's neck. "Can't we just go back to the bedroom?"

Regina smiles. "Priorities, Emma."

She pulls back and catches Regina's eyes. "You are my priority."

Regina kisses Emma's lightly. "So is this." With one last kiss to the lips, Regina removes herself from Emma's lap and pushes her back in front of the computer. "Take your time, my love."

Through the hour that Emma spends typing, deleting, and retyping, she periodically glances up to see Regina still patiently watching.

When she gets close to the end, Emma groans and shoves the computer away from her, dropping her head on the table.

Regina jolts forward to keep the computer from crashing to the ground. "I know you're frustrated, Emma, but let's refrain from destroying things."

"Sorry," Emma mumbles. Lifting her head, she reaches out and slides the computer back to her. She leans on her elbows as she reads over the account, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, jabbing at the keys to fix errors or adjust her phrasing.

The computer moves toward Regina again and she puts out her hand to stop it. "Emma, please." She stops when she realizes Emma is turning it around to her. She looks up, waiting for Emma to raise up her head from the desk or to say something. "Are you asking me to read the email?"

Emma nods her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Just read it before I change my mind," Emma says, exasperated.

Regina picks up the computer, setting in her lap. As she reads, her face contorts into a combination of anger and disgust, her eyes burning with rage, her hands clenching involuntarily.

Emma looks up and chews on her lip while Regina's eyes quickly dart across the screen.

Once finished, Regina drops the computer back on the desk a little too hard. She closes her eyes to focus on calming her breathing. "No wonder you almost threw the computer."

"Did you send it?"

Regina looks at Emma whose is gnawing at the side of her thumb. "No. That's for you to do."

She shakes her head. "I don't want to."

"I think it may be a bit cathartic for you to do so."

She shakes her head again. "You do it."

Regina gets up and moves around the desk again. She pulls the computer to them and guides Emma's hand along the mouse pad, pressing her finger down on Send.

Emma pulls Regina down into her lap again, pressing her head into Regina's back, taking deep ragged breaths. "Now what? We just wait?"

"No. Now we go spend the day together doing anything but thinking about this."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Emma. So much."

Emma nods and kisses Regina's back. "I'm glad."

"Me too," Regina says, reaching back and running her hand up and down Emma's arm.


	30. Chapter 30

Emma holds the door open to Granny's for Regina.

Regina kisses her on the cheek as she steps through the door. She stops when she sees Mary Margaret, David, and Neal at a table.

Emma nudges her. "Behave."

"Easy for you to say," she retorts.

Neal is the first one to see them. He climbs out of his seat and runs over to them, nearly knocking Regina over from impact to her legs.

She reaches down and pats his back, watching Emma's expression. Emma notices and smiles at her then ruffles his hair. "Hey, little man."

He reluctantly lets go before enveloping Emma's legs in a hug. "Hi, Emma."

Surprised by the sudden hug, Emma's eyes widen. "Happy to see me or something?"

"Yeah but I missed her more," he replies, pointing at Regina.

Regina rolls her eyes. "Come on, back to the table." She looks up and sees Mary Margaret glaring at her. "She's relentless," she whispers to Emma.

Emma smiles then waves to her parents, taking Regina's hand and pulling her to their table. "Hey, guys."

Mary Margaret smiles at Emma. "It's so good to see you, Emma." She looks at Regina. "Regina."

Regina tries not to look as irritated as she feels when she nods curtly to Mary Margaret.

David looks between them and sighs. "How are you two today?"

"We are well. Thank you," Regina responds then darts her eyes back to Mary Margaret with a hint of a glare.

"Where's Henry?" Mary Margaret asks, suddenly avoiding all eye contact with Regina.

Emma smacks her forehead. "Shoot. I forgot to text him." She pulls her phone out of her pocket and starts quickly typing. "Kid's gonna think we hate him at this rate."

Regina raises her eyebrow. "Did you forget to tell me about something?"

"Oh, just with us not coming down for a while this morning, he was half-joking about us forgetting he existed."

David clears his throat and starts directing all of his attention at the plate in front of him while Mary Margaret gawks at Emma.

Neal perks up. "Did you forget to wake up? I was up really early. Mommy made me eat breakfast in bed. Did you eat breakfast in bed?"

Emma looks up from her phone, suddenly realizing what she announced in front of her family.

Regina rubs at her temple and glares at Emma. "I suppose you could say that."

"Emma," Mary Margaret scolds.

"Okay, look, that wasn't supposed to slip out, but come on, Mom. I am thirty-seven. Thirty-seven, not seventeen. You act like you and Dad don't do it."

"You eat in bed too?" Neal asks his mom.

Emma sighs. "Yeah, little man, that's exactly what we're talking about."

Regina grabs Emma's elbow. "Although this has been a lovely conversation, we must excuse ourselves. Have a nice day. Enjoy your thoughts." She takes the opportunity to smirk at Mary Margaret before dragging Emma to a booth at the opposite side of the diner.

Dropping into the seat, Emma thuds her head on the table. "How? How can I be so stupid?"

Regina watches her, arms crossed.

Emma looks up. "You were supposed to argue that."

"I'd hate to lie to you, dear." She holds a smirk, but it falls into a smile when Emma narrows her eyes.

A ding grabs Emma's attention. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she reads a message from Henry. "His turn to avoid us. He's been with Grace the whole time and basically just told us to leave him the hell alone."

"I hope those were not his actual words." Regina states, an accusatory hint to her tone as if blaming Emma for the faults in his vernacular.

Emma ignores her and pockets her phone. "What do you want to do today?"

"That's up to you, my love. I want to support you and make you feel good."

"I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be at this point with you."

Regina runs her fingers over Emma's hand on the table. "Let's make sure to foster that happiness then."

About halfway through their lunch, Neal crashes into Emma's side knocking her burger out of her hand and spreading it across the table. "Dangit, boy," Emma grumbles.

He smiles before shoving off of her and crawling into the seat next to Regina. Regina leans down a bit to talk to him. "You need to be more careful, Neal. You just ruined her food. Do you have the money to replace it?"

Neal looks horrified at the notion. "No." He looks at Emma. "Sorry."

Emma picks up the pieces and drops them on her plate. "Just don't make a habit of it, alright?"

He nods his head.

David joins them at the table, placing a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Time to go, Neal." He leans down and kisses the top of Emma's head. "Have a good day. It'd be nice if you could come over and visit your mother." He glances at Regina apologetically before adding, "Alone."

Emma glares up at him. "She can't get rid of my girlfriend that easily."

Regina's eyebrows raise up, surprised at the declaration.

David shakes his head. "That's not what I meant. Just talk to each other. Give her a chance to hear you out without added… distractions."

Emma shakes her head. "No. I'm not okay with that."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Emma, just go deal with your mother please. For both our sakes."

Emma snaps her head around to her. "Are you kidding me?"

"I am quite serious. Under no circumstances do I want to be in her home when you hash this out, but she is your mother, however disconcerting that may be."

"Thank you? I think," David says with a cocked head.

"Fine," Emma huffs. "I'm getting this over with as soon as possible, so do me a favor and take the little man over there somewhere while Mom and I go to the house."

David smiles. "Want me to come back and pick you up after lunch?"

Emma pushes her plate away. "Thanks to him," she shoves a finger in Neal's face, "I am done."

Neal curls into Regina's side, mumbling another apology.

"You okay if I go?" She asks Regina.

Regina smiles. "Have fun."

David pats her shoulder. "Alright, children of mine, let's go."

Neal squeezes Regina in a tight hug until she plants a kiss on his head. "Go on," she says with a pat to his back. He scoots out of the seat and bounds after his father.

Emma moves around the table and kisses Regina. "Why do you hate me?"

Regina kisses her again. "Go. Talk-"

"Be nice?" Emma finishes for her.

Regina laughs. "That is hardly something I would suggest in reference to your mother."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Alright. Bye. See you at home?"

Regina nods and watches Emma trudge after her parents. She smiles at Mary Margaret's glare.


	31. Chapter 31

Henry and Regina sit on the couch together reading. Night has fallen, and both are hoping Emma returns soon.

The slamming of the front door rings loudly through the quiet house.

Henry leans back to look over the couch toward the hallway. "Ma?"

Emma storms around the corner and glares at Regina. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Henry stands up. "Ma, what's wrong?"

"Stay out of this," Emma hisses at him.

"Henry, go to your room," Regina directs before getting up. She moves toward Emma but stays back a few feet, waiting for Henry's door to shut before speaking. "Emma, talk to me."

"I trusted you."

"Tell me what's going on," Regina pleads, having a hard time not reaching out for Emma.

Emma shakes her head. "I only have one thing to say to you." She leans closer to Regina. "Fuck. You."

"Are you drunk?"

"Looks like it," Emma responds, crossing her arms.

With a deep breath, Regina takes a step closer to Emma. "Why are you so angry with me?"

"You told her."

"I don't know what you mean."

Emma drops her arms. "My mom. You told her what happened."

Regina touches Emma's arm, but Emma pulls away. "I never told her what happened, Emma."

"You apparently told her enough because I just spent hours, hours, Regina, being attacked and prodded over being here. And you're the reason. You had no right to tell her anything."

"Emma, I only told her she needed to ask you if she wanted to know about it. Yes, I implied there was an issue, but I never meant for that to become a problem between you and her."

Emma laughs. "How could that ever not become a problem with her? She always has to know everything, and you gave her access."

Regina reaches out again but gives up when Emma swats her hand away. "I am truly sorry, Emma. Thinking she would be respectful of your story was foolish."

"At least you don't have to worry about her anymore. I told her what happened. I told her about us. And I told her not to come knocking when she wants to play mommy again."

"Emma," Regina sighs. "You can't just get rid of your mother."

Emma rolls her eyes. "It doesn't really matter anymore." She moves toward the steps. "Don't even think about coming after me," she warns.

Regina presses her fingers to her temple and wraps the other hand around her stomach, watching Emma struggle up the steps.

Emma jolts awake, panting, with tears on her face. She jumps when she realizes a hand is on her back. Flipping over quickly, she sees Regina sitting next to her. She lets out a slow breath and buries her head in her hand.

"You were having a nightmare," Regina offers softly, keeping a hand on Emma.

Emma nods and drops back down on her stomach, hand still on her face.

Regina rubs circles on Emma's back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I want you to go away."

For a second, Regina stops her hand but takes a breath and continues. "I'm not leaving you."

"What if I don't want you?"

"Maybe you need me."

Emma shakes her head. "I need someone I can trust."

Regina removes her hand and shifts on the bed. "You can trust me, Emma. There was no malicious intent in giving your mother only the briefest insight into your purpose for being here."

Removing her hand from her face, Emma glares at Regina. "Stop making excuses for yourself."

"What do you want me to say, my love? What can I do to help you?"

Emma buries her head in the pillow. "I want you to leave me alone."

Regina runs her fingers through Emma's hair. "I'm inclined to believe you are not so sure what is best for you right now."

Emma scoffs. "Don't patronize me."

"You're highly intoxicated and obviously in a lot of pain. I wouldn't be a very good girlfriend if I just left you alone."

"You're not my girlfriend."

"That's not what you told your parents."

Emma lifts her head to look at Regina. "I didn't think my mom would take kindly to the idea of us just fucking so I lied."

Regina pulls her hand away. "I am trying really hard to excuse the things you are saying to me right now, but you are not making it easy."

"Then go away," Emma says, dropping her head back into her pillow. When she feels Regina stand up, she bites her lip to fight a sob.

Regina runs a hand down her face and takes a deep breath before looking down at Emma's perfectly still body. Hoping not to regret her next decision, Regina lays next to Emma and wraps her arms around her.

Emma immediately curls into Regina and cries.

"I love you. You're safe with me," Regina whispers in her ear, placing kisses on Emma's head under her chin.


	32. Chapter 32

Emma feels around the bed as she wakes. Finding cold sheets around her, she opens her eyes. No sign of Regina. She sits up quickly and immediately grabs at her aching head. "Bad idea." Once the room stops spinning, she gets to her feet and drags herself to the door.

After clambering down the steps and nearly falling a dozen or so times, both feet hit the first floor and she takes a seat on the steps. She spends a few minutes taking slow breaths before standing again and moving into the kitchen.

She finds Regina cooking breakfast with Henry popped up on the island.

Regina turns and smiles at her. She nods to Henry. "I assume he gets this behavior from you."

Henry grins and swings his feet.

Having mentally prepared for war, Emma releases a deep sigh of relief and smiles back at them. "Tell me we have coffee."

"And aspirin," Regina says, pointing to a steaming mug with pills next to it.

Using the walls to balance herself, Emma slowly progresses to the counter. Not caring how hot the drink is, she throws back the pills and takes a large gulp of coffee. She closes her eyes and steadily sips it.

"You look like shit," Henry pipes up.

Regina shakes her head. "Do try to expand your vocabulary, dear."

Emma grumbles a response and continues sipping her coffee.

After plating the food, Regina gestures for Henry to take them to the table. Once he leaves the kitchen, she walks over and kisses Emma's forehead.

"I missed you this morning," Emma says into her mug.

"I needed to be awake for Henry. He went to bad on a rather unfortunate note."

Emma lowers her mug and accidentally slams it down, jolting her awake a bit. "I'm sorry for last night."

Regina nods. "We'll talk later. Come eat." She steps past Emma but is stopped by an arm around her waist.

Emma kisses her shoulder. "I really am sorry for what I said to you."

"I hope so," Regina responds, patting Emma's hand and gently removing it. "Henry's waiting." She exits the kitchen, not waiting for Emma to follow.

Emma spends breakfast curled up in a seat, stabbing at her eggs. It takes strong persuasion from both Henry and Regina to get her to consume even half of her food.

Once she's had enough, she drops her fork and lays her head back. "I can't do anymore. I'm dying."

"No, you're hungover. You will survive," Regina says, standing up to take plates.

"Yeah, so stop your whining," Henry adds.

Emma waves a hand at him to feebly tell him off. "Leave me be, wretched boy."

"You're an idiot."

"Henry," Regina warns from the kitchen.

He rolls his eyes and takes his own dishes to the kitchen.

Emma sits up and realizes she's alone. She pouts and steadies herself to stand.

In the kitchen, Henry scrubs at a dish then turns to Regina. "I don't understand why I have to be nice to her. She wasn't nice to me."

"I understand, Henry; however, we are a family, and we do not seek vengeance upon one another. She made a mistake."

"Might as well just say it, Mom. She fucked up."

Regina scowls. "There were circumstances that led to last night."

"Just cause you forgive her so easily doesn't mean I have to. I'm not the one trying to get in her pants."

Regina turns to him fully. "Henry. That is enough. I understand you are upset and that she hurt your feelings last night, but do not turn this around on me."

Henry yanks a plate from her hands and starts scrubbing at it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina sees Emma standing in the entryway with a sad expression, knowing she heard their conversation. After watching her for a moment, she turns back and rubs Henry's back before helping him finish the dishes.

Emma pushes off the wall and moves to the living room. She falls on the couch and stares at the black TV screen. She incorrectly sings to herself, "I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me. I'm all alone, there's no one to guide me. But you gotta-"

"You have friends. Shut up." Henry says as he passes in the hallway. "And it's deride. Look up a lyric once in a while, Ma."

Emma watches him jog up the steps. "Great. He hates me."

Regina sits on the edge of the couch. "He's just upset."

"And rightfully so."

"Agreed," Regina says, placing her hand on Emma's leg. "You two can talk about it when you feel better."

"And us?" Emma asks, trying to peer over her shoulder at Regina.

Regina rubs Emma's leg. "Preferably today; however, I would like you to speak to our son first."

"He doesn't have any weapons up there, does he?"

"No, and you're not going right now."

Emma pushes up on her elbows. "Why not?"

Regina gestures to all of Emma. "Because of this. You are in no state to have an honest conversation with him."

"I think I'll be fine," Emma says moving to get up.

Regina presses on her back to keep her down. "Emma, stop. Not now."

"It's not like I'm still drunk," Emma replies irritably, moving to get up again.

Regina stands up. "No, you're just a stumbling reminder of the asshole that barged into this house last night." She clamps her eyes shut and puts her hands on her hips, frustrated with her own outburst.

Emma forces herself to stand quickly and places her hands on Regina's shoulders, partly for stability. "I'm sorry. I know said some less than pleasant things."

Regina stares at her. "Less than pleasant? How very coy."

"I feel like I just suddenly pissed you off, and I'm not sure what to do about it."

Regina puts her hands on Emma's stomach, focusing her eyes there. "I'm not pissed. I'm just trying to get over some of the things you said."

"Just give me a chance to explain."

Regina's eyes darken and she looks at Emma. "Explain why you decided to run to a bar for however long instead of coming home? Why you felt that getting belligerently drunk would behoove any of us? Why you opted to come screaming into what is supposed to be a safe home and scare your son?" Regina clenches her jaw and steps back, putting out an arm to keep Emma back. "I love you, and I understand that you were under an incredible amount of stress and dealing with powerful emotions, but I would be lying if I said it doesn't worry me that you chose to drink yourself into a state of no remorse."

"Regina, I- I didn't mean to come home like that. I just- it was a stupid mistake. I couldn't handle dealing with things after my mom, and the Rabbit Hole seemed like the only option. I know I fucked up, I really do, and I can't thank you enough for taking care of me anyways and putting up with my bullshit."

"I didn't do it for your gratitude. I did it because I love you. But I am not willing to make a habit of it. You are not welcome to continue this behavior in our home or around our son. He doesn't deserve that. I don't deserve that. And you don't deserve to put yourself through it either."

Emma nods her head quickly. "I know. I understand. I won't. I promise."

Regina runs her hand down Emma's arm. "Be sure not to make promises you can't keep." She turns and leaves Emma in the living room.


	33. Chapter 33

A few hours and a good nap later, Emma finds Regina in the kitchen again, making lunch. She stops in the entryway and puts her hands in her back pockets. "Hey."

Regina glances at her and gives her a small smile. "Feel better?"

Emma nods and finds sudden interest in her feet.

After filling a plate with food, she sets it on the island near Emma. "Why don't you take Henry his lunch? I asked him to stay here today until you talked so he's possibly still acting like a five year old in time out."

Without answering, Emma steps forward and wraps her arms around Regina's waist, pulling her in tight. As soon as she feels Regina's arms move to return the hold, she lifts Regina and places her on the counter.

Before Regina can chastise her for forcing her to sit on the counter like Henry, Emma buries her head into Regina's chest and lets silent tears fall. Accepting her new position, Regina slowly runs her hands over Emma's arms and back.

They stay silent in that position until the food gets cold. Emma pulls back with a deep steadying breath and leans up to kiss Regina. "Thank you."

"I want to be what you need," Regina responds softly. "I didn't mean to get so upset with you this morning. I'm not saying I'm sorry for what I said or that I was speaking out of line, but that's not how I wanted to have that discussion."

Emma nods. "I know." She kisses Regina again before lifting her back to the floor. "Let's try again later. But now I must feed the boy."

Regina touches his food lightly. "It's cold, let me heat it up."

Emma raises her eyebrow when Regina starts turning on the oven and getting out a pan to put the food on. "What are you doing?"

"What I just told you."

Emma takes the plate and shoves it in the microwave. "There's a reason you own one of these."

"That will alter the consistency of his food." When Emma looks at her confused, she rolls her eyes. "It'll get chewy."

"Trust me, he's used to it." The microwave timer goes off so she removes the plate and smiles at Regina. "See? All done."

"If he complains about the food, I am not to blame."

"Noted," Emma nods.

Regina takes Emma's hand and pulls her close, kissing her lightly. "I know Henry has had a rather difficult personality recently, but try to be understanding. Even if he is in the wrong, if you go up there and start blaming him for anything, the conversation will be lost."

"We'll try not to kill each other." Emma kisses her one last time then leaves the kitchen. She strides up the steps and takes a few moments to steady herself before knocking on Henry's door. "Delivery."

Henry opens the door. He looks at her then takes the plate and starts closing the door.

Emma throws out a hand to stop the door. "Whoa, kid."

He opens it back up and rolls his eyes. "I was just kidding. Come in." He drops on his bed and takes a bite of his food. With a look of disgust, he asks, "Did you make this?"

Emma sits in his desk chair, her mouth hanging open a bit. "There is no way it's that bad."

"No, it's fine." He smiles. "I was getting a comic and heard the microwave discussion. And you're right. I'm used to it."

Emma watches him for a moment while he eats. "How are you?"

"Better. You?"

"Better." They sit in silence for a few more moments. "Henry, I'm sorry for coming in the house yelling like a damn banshee last night, and I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Thank you," he says, moving his food around on his plate. He sets his plate on a table and focuses his attention on her. "Ma, I don't like when you drink like that. And I especially don't like when Mom has to deal with your shit from it."

Emma nods. "I know that, and I completely understand why you're upset with me. Though I would prefer you not do things like tell me to shut up or call me an idiot."

"But you were being an idiot."

"You're an idiot all the time, but I don't call you one."

Henry narrows his eyes at her. "And you're funny too."

They stare at each other for a few long moments before Emma scoots to the edge of the chair. "Listen, I don't feel comfortable talking about what drove me to come here early. I've already had to relive it too many times in the last couple of days. Your mother pressed me to handle it in a formal matter which I don't blame her for, but it was not easy and I'm not entirely sure I was ready. And shortly after that, my own mother absolutely badgered me over it. It's not an excuse, but it was just too much all at once. Mary Margaret felt no need to hold back about my issue or about her disdain towards Regina, and… I didn't cope well."

Henry nods slowly. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you. And I'm sorry that Gram is kind of a jerk about you and mom."

"Me too," Emma sighs.

"Are you and mom okay?" he asks timidly.

"We'll be okay. But I need you to do me a favor concerning Operation Swan-Mills."

Henry sits up a bit. "Yeah?"

Emma gets up and sits next to Henry. "I need you to take a step back. You can keep your name, but you can't be a part of it. You got yourself too emotionally invested in a relationship that doesn't include you. We will always be your mothers, Henry, but anything beyond that is solely the responsibility of your mom and me."

"You guys weren't doing anything about it. And you were always a big mess. I got her to come visit. All for this."

Emma shrugs. "And look where we are, kid. I'm not saying it's your fault by any means, but I don't really think you're helping. Your mom and I need to start figuring this out completely on our own without any outside influences like you or my mom."

"So it's my fault you got drunk and fucked shit up so many times." Henry crosses his arms and looks away from her.

"No," Emma responds slowly, trying to remove the hint of irritation. "That is not at all what I'm saying. I am not blaming you for anything. Except for when you busted in my bedroom during a perfectly good time that I probably could have screwed up all on my own."

"I was trying to protect you," Henry defends, looking back at her.

"But see, that's what I'm saying. We don't need your protection from each other. We are okay. We are two strong grown women with a lot of history. Let us work through that on our own time." Emma pulls on his arms until he relents and lets her take his hands. "I want you to focus on you. There are plenty of things for you to worry about. You need to spend your time focused on that adorable girl down the street rather than which mother is being the bigger pain in the ass at the moment."

He stares at their hands then nods. "I'm sorry for being a pain."

"Same," Emma says pulling him into a hug. She pushes back and holds his shoulders. "Now, go be a 19 year old boy dealing with whatever crap you boys deal with, and I'm going to talk with your mom."

Emma gets up but stops when Henry grabs her hand. She turns back and sees him smiling at her. "I love you, Ma."

She returns the smile. "I love you too, kid."


	34. Chapter 34

Emma searches the downstairs and finds Regina looking at her computer. "Hey babe," Emma says with a smile on her face as she closes the study doors behind her.

Regina looks up. "Babe?"

"Yep." Emma gives her a toothy grin.

After considering it for a moment, Regina shakes her head but smiles. "You are the only person in any realm who can get away with calling me that."

Taking a seat in a chair near the desk, Emma lays her legs over the armrest and studies Regina. "Are you working?"

Regina shakes her head. "No. How was your talk?"

"Uh, surprisingly well. I mean, we both walked out without any injuries. He seemed to understand my side of things. He agreed to step out of our relationship a bit."

"I'm glad to hear that." An alert rings on Regina's computer, catching Regina's attention. She looks over the email and has to rip her eyes away to focus on Emma again. "Do you feel good about the situation?"

"With Henry? Yeah. With you? Not really. We haven't actually talked." She notices Regina glance down again at another alert. "Do you need me to give you some time?"

Regina looks at Emma. "No."

"You are obviously distracted. I don't want to talk about this while you're thinking about something else."

"Emma, things are fine. I am not distracted." She closes her eyes when another alert sounds. "I'm sorry." She closes her laptop.

Emma sits up straight. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

Regina stands up and walks over to Emma. "You can talk to me. You have my full attention." Regina's phone starts ringing from the desk. She sighs and retrieves the phone. One look at the number, and the phone is silenced.

Emma furrows her brow. "Regina, you never avoid work."

"I told you I'm not working, dear."

"Okay then what are you avoiding?"

Regina leans down and kisses her forehead. "It's not important." She groans when her phone rings again.

Emma glances between Regina's eyes. "What are you not telling me?"

"Why are you pushing this so much?" Regina asks, reaching over and silencing her phone again.

"Because something is wrong and you're hiding it from me for whatever reason."

Regina's phone rings again. Emma lunges forward and picks it up off the desk. She flips it over to see a 404 number.

With a piercing glare, Regina plucks it from Emma's fingers and shoves it in her pocket, silencing it for the third time.

"Why are you getting a call from Atlanta?"

"Why can't you let anything go?"

"This is suddenly starting to seem like it revolves around me."

Regina sits back down at her desk. "We are not children, Emma. Do not take my phone again, please."

The phone rings again. Regina yanks it out of her pocket and answers it. "Regina Mills… Do you understand that today is Saturday?... No, I believe this can and should wait. You have no right to harass me via phone and email because you have decided it is suddenly a priority… Absolutely not. You can discuss this on Monday… Yes, well, that is no one's problem aside from your own. Do not contact me again today." Regina ends the call and tosses her phone on the desk.

Emma stands up slowly. "This does have to do with me. That was my work, wasn't it?"

Regina stares at Emma then nods.

Emma strides over to the desk and opens Regina's laptop, rolling Regina back with a foot to the chair. She scans over all of the emails from the HR team. "They've been messaging you all day."

"Hence my frustration."

Emma looks over her shoulder at Regina. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have done any good?"

Jabbing the down arrow, Emma quickly reads through all of the emails. "They want to resolve this while I'm here? They really can't just wait and do this at the office like normal? What the hell?" She scrolls to the first email and sees her incident report. Powerless to stop herself, she reads over her account, her eyes glazing over.

Unable to see what Emma is doing on the computer, Regina stands up and leans over Emma, pressing into her back.

Emma flings around quickly. "Get off me!"

Regina slams into the wall and winces when she smacks her head into the corner of a frame. She pushes off the wall and reaches up to hold the source of pain on her head.

"Regina!" Emma grabs her and pulls her close. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Regina looks over Emma's shoulder at the computer screen, noting where Emma was at in the report. She nods her head. "I know. It didn't occur to me you would reread that."

Emma holds Regina back from her and examines her body. "Does anything else hurt? Is your head okay?"

Regina pulls her hand from the sore spot. "I'm alright, my love. I think I will retrieve an ice pack; however, there is nothing to be concerned over."

"Except that I might hurt you one day," Emma says quietly.

Regina strokes her cheek. "I hold no fear in my heart that you are going to hurt me."

Emma throws up a hand. "I just proved that I might."

"Emma, it's not like you punched me. You got scared and thrashed. Unfortunately, there was a well-placed frame behind me."

Shaking her head, Emma argues, "But it's my fault you got hurt."

Regina places her hands on either side of Emma's face. "Emma, I am okay. You didn't do anything on purpose. You're allowed to be afraid. I just need to remind myself of that and be mindful."

Emma drops her eyes. "I don't want you to be afraid to touch me."

"Being aware and being afraid are different things. You will not always have that reaction, my love. You just need to work through what happened. It takes time."

Emma picks at Regina's shirt. "I'm sorry."

Regina leans forward and kisses Emma's forehead. "I'm sorry too."

Taking a deep breath, Emma turns to the computer. "So, do I really have to do this?"

"Emma." Regina waits until Emma looks at her before slipping her arms around Emma's waist and flushing against her. "You do not have to do this. I told them Monday. If come Monday, you are not ready, then tell them no. They are here for you. Don't let them tell you otherwise."

Emma relaxes in Regina's arms, setting her hands over Regina's. "Let's get you some ice, babe."

Regina smiles and kisses Emma's cheek.


	35. Chapter 35

Early in the afternoon, Regina watches Emma and Henry play a video game, all three on the couch.

Henry glances at Emma then leans forward to look at Regina. "You know you don't actually have to watch us?"

Regina smiles at him. "Thank you, sweetie."

"You just normally read or something."

"I'm fine like this." She looks back at the screen hoping he drops the subject. Admitting that her head hurts too much to read is not going to happen.

Emma and Henry look at each other and then pause the game. Emma lays her hand on Regina's leg. "You okay, babe?"

Regina smiles at her. "Tonight is your last night here. What do you two want to do?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Emma, I am perfectly fine. What do you two want to do tonight?"

Emma turns to Henry. "Any thoughts, kid?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I was thinking about going to see Grace, but I'd like to spend time with you guys too."

"Well," Emma starts, "We don't have to go out anywhere. We could always just stay in and do a dinner. Invite Grace over?"

Henry nods. "I'm sure she'll come."

Emma turns her head to Regina. "Up for cooking? I'd do it, but we should probably try to impress Henry's girlfriend-" She turns back to Henry. "Girlfriend?" He nods with a big smile. "Atta boy." She looks at Regina to finish, "Rather than give her food poisoning."

Regina locks her fingers in her lap and clenches her hands to ward off the pain before nodding. "That sounds lovely. Why don't you two go to the store and buy the ingredients?"

Henry leans around Emma. "You're letting us go? By ourselves? To buy dinner?"

"This is for your girlfriend, Henry. I think you should be responsible for the meal."

His face falls. "But you're gonna cook it right cause…"

Regina smiles. "Yes, now both of you go."

Emma leans forward and kisses Regina's cheeks then lips. "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"

"It will be nice for you two," she replies, rubbing Emma's arm.

Emma kisses her one more time before getting up and following Henry out the door.

As soon as the door closes, Regina clamps her eyes shut and lays herself out on the couch, one hand covering the growing lump on her head.

Regina wakes to the voices in the kitchen. She slowly sits up, closing and opening her eyes in intervals to reorient herself. Standing up, she runs her hands over her hair and straightens her clothes. She takes a step and wobbles slightly.

Emma stops in the entryway of the living room at the sight of Regina steadying herself on the arm rest and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Regina, are you feeling alright?"

Regina forces herself to stand up and smile. "Just fine. I stubbed my toe."

"Oh. Ow." Emma walks to her and kisses her. "We got the goods."

"Thank you." Regina holds onto Emma's arms. "What are we making tonight?"

"Well, we wanted to do lasagna, but you put a lot of stuff in that, and you didn't answer your phone, so we gave up on that."

Reaching into her pocket, Regina reveals her phone, seeing the few missed calls from Emma and Henry. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear the ring."

Emma grabs the phone. "You probably put it on silent." She checks the volume button and sees the sound is on. "Or you're just deaf. It doesn't matter. We ended up with ravioli, fish, and kale. I don't know if those go together, and neither of us is sure why we got kale, but that's what we have to work with."

Regina smiles and tries to put her phone back in her pocket, but it falls to the ground. She silently cusses herself for the notion of having to bend over, but fortunately, Emma beats her to it.

Emma slides the phone into Regina's pocket, taking advantage of the opportunity to kiss her shoulder and neck. In her ear, she asks, "Since it's my last night, am I welcome in your bed?"

Regina places a hand on Emma's chest, the other still holding tight on her bicep. She turns her head just enough to kiss Emma's cheek. "Of course, my love."

Emma smiles into her neck and wraps a hand around Regina's waist to pull her close.

Regina winces at the sudden movement, but Emma doesn't notice, too focused on kissing the exposed skin in front of her. She closes her eyes and takes a few breaths shallow enough for Emma not to feel a change.

When she feels ready, she opens her eyes and squeezes Emma's arm. "Let's go to the kitchen. Maybe I can work some magic with your hodgepodge of foods."

"Not yet," Emma replies, running a hand up Regina's back and moving to kiss the other side of Regina's neck and shoulder. She locks her fingers in Regina's hair and tugs to give her more access to Regina's neck.

Regina lets out a small whimper and her nails dig into Emma's chest and arm.

Emma releases her grip on Regina and leans back. "What's wrong?"

"My hair is a little sensitive, and it surprised me."

"Your hair is sensitive? Since when?"

Regina pushes back on Emma slightly. "It just happens sometimes. I enjoy your kisses, but can we please go to the kitchen?"

Emma nods her head. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Regina loops her arm under Emma's and leans on her. "It's fine, my love. I need to get started on dinner."

They move from the living room slowly, Regina not letting Emma walk too quickly. "Henry is picking up Grace so he'll be here in an hour or so," Emma tells her as they enter the kitchen.

Once they make it to the island, Emma lets go of Regina to start unbagging groceries while Regina retrieves pots and pans.

Regina directs Emma around the kitchen, minimizing her own movements, to get everything prepped to cook. For the fish, she opts to cook it in white wine. She fumbles with the cork before giving up. "Please open this," she says, tapping the bottle on the counter next to her.

Emma steps up next to her and uncorks the bottle. "Never thought Regina Mills would meet a wine bottle she couldn't defeat."

Regina smiles and takes the bottle offered to her. When she tilts the bottle, her body leans with it and she stumbles, nearly falling to the ground.

"Regina," Emma lunges forward to catch her and help her up. Once standing, Emma studies Regina's face. "What is going on? You didn't just stub your toe in the living room, did you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Regina answers while her knuckles are turning white from gripping Emma's sleeves.

"In the living room, you stubbed your toe."

"I never stubbed my toe."

Emma grabs Regina's face and looks back and forth between her eyes. "You don't look well."

"I'm fine," Regina tries to smile.

"Stop lying to me. Are you sick?"

Regina slowly shakes her head. "I just got dizzy, that's all."

Emma grips Regina's waist when her knees buckle a bit. "Regina, something's wrong with you. You're starting to scare me."

"Please, Emma, I'll be fine." She takes a deep breath and releases Emma to prove she can stand on her own. "Let's finish dinner."

Emma tightens her grip on Regina, not letting her step away. "Tell me what's going on. Do you feel sick? Does anything hurt?"

"My head," Regina whispers.

"What?" Emma asks, leaning closer to Regina.

"My head," she repeats a little louder. "My head hurts, Emma."

Emma's eyes widen as she pulls back to see Regina's face. "From when I… pushed you?"

Regina slowly nods. "I'm sorry."

Emma's eyes immediately start to well with tears as she shakes her head. "Please, please don't apologize. This is my fault. I'm so sorry for hurting you."

"I need to sit down," Regina says, leaning heavily against the counter.

"You need to go to the hospital," Emma responds, shifting to carry Regina.

Regina pushes back away from her. "No."

"Regina, I think you have a concussion." Emma's eyes shine from the tears slowly starting to fall.

"I agree, but there's nothing they can do at the hospital. I don't need that idiot Whale to just tell me to take aspirin." She stretches to turn off the stove.

Emma shakes her head. "Regina, you need help. I don't know what to do."

"I need to sit down. Help me with that," Regina pleads.

Emma swiftly picks up Regina and takes her to the couch. She looks down on her. "Please let me take you to the hospital."

Regina shakes her head slowly and closes her eyes. "I just need some aspirin and maybe ice for my head."

Emma nods and sprints to the kitchen to get the medicine and ice pack.

Trying to ease the dizziness and nausea, Regina focuses on a spot on the wall and takes slow even breaths.

With materials in hand, Emma kneels in front of Regina. "Here," she says softly, presenting the medicine and a glass of water.

Regina slowly takes the medicine while Emma moves to sit next to her, carefully pressing the ice pack on Regina's head.

Pushing against Emma's chest lightly, Regina coaxes her to lie down then lays against her.

Emma keeps the ice pack on Regina's head and leans forward to kiss her hair. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I am so so sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Realizing Regina is already asleep, Emma lets her tears fall freely as she clutches Regina's shirt with her free hand.


	36. Chapter 36

Emma paces the hospital room, gnawing at the side of her thumb. Through the window, she sees Henry and Grace sitting together in the waiting room. Whale rounds the corner and enters the room.

"Where have you been?" Emma snaps at him.

He ignores her and moves over to look at Regina's sleeping form. The nurses have already attached an IV and hooked her up to the systems. "What happened?" Whale asks, glancing at her chart.

"She… she hit her head."

Whale lifts his eyes and stares at her. "That's it? She hit her head?"

Emma stops pacing and takes a deep breath before starting. "She came up behind me around lunch time. I got scared and accidentally shoved her into a wall. Her head hit the corner of a frame. Hard."

Whale keeps his eyes on her for a moment then moves up the bed to examine Regina's head.

A hard shove causes Emma to stumble. She regains her balance and spins around to see Henry glaring at her. "Henry, what-"

"You did this?" He points at Regina.

She takes a step closer to him. "Look, Henry, it was an accident."

He matches her step and leans near her face. "You accidentally threw my mom into a wall?"

Whale slides out of the room behind Henry. Emma watches him leave then looks back at Regina.

Henry pushes her again to get her attention. "Were you drunk?"

"What? No. Henry, it was right after we talked."

He shakes his head. "How could you do this to her? I thought you loved her."

"I do love her."

"Well then you have a funny way of showing it." He turns his back to her.

Emma steps around him and takes his shoulders. "I never meant to hurt her. I was stuck in my head with what happened, and I got scared. It never should have happened, but it did and it was an accident."

"Then heal her," Henry says through gritted teeth.

"What?"

Knocking her hands off of him, he repeats himself. "Heal her."

"I- I don't know if I can." Emma studies Regina's body.

"You've healed before," Henry challenges.

"But Henry, I've hardly used any magic in almost a year. What if I can't?"

"So what, you're just not even going to try?"

Emma takes a deep breath and steps up to the side of Regina's bed. She leans down and kisses her forehead then studies her face.

"Well?" Henry pressures, standing on the opposite side of the bed.

"Alright," Emma snaps. "Back off for ten minutes, kid."

"No. You hurt her. Now fix her."

Emma lays a hand on Regina's head and another on her chest. She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing.

Henry clenches onto the bed rail as Emma's hands glow.

Sweat beads at her forehead and her hands start to tremble. She stumbles and the magic stops flowing as she gasps for air, not realizing she was holding her breath.

Henry runs around the bed and pulls her back to her feet. "Come on."

"I'm trying," Emma argues.

"Try harder." He drops her arm and moves back around the bed.

Emma glares at him then puts her hands back in place on Regina. She closes her eyes and focuses. Her hands start to light up but stop when a hand wraps around her arm.

"Mom!" Henry yells.

Emma opens her eyes to see Regina grabbing her arm, fluttering her eyes open. "Regina!" She bends down and kisses her head.

Henry looks at Emma. "Did it work?"

"I don't think so. I didn't really do much." She runs a hand down Regina's cheek.

Whale comes back in the room and waves Emma back. He takes out a light and shines it across Regina's eyes. He smiles at her when she focuses on him. "Welcome back, Mayor."

Regina turns to Emma. "I told you… not to bring me here." She blinks her eyes a few times, trying to maintain her focus.

"I'm not apologizing," Emma says with a sigh of relief.

Henry grabs her hand. "Ma tried to heal you, but it didn't work."

Regina pats his hand. "I don't need to be healed. Surely Whale is capable of handling a head bump." She stares up at him.

He nods. "You experienced a closed head injury resulting in a minor TBI."

"TBI?" Emma asks.

"Traumatic Brain Injury," he clarifies.

"That doesn't sound minor," Emma responds, fear rising in her voice.

"I assure you it is." He looks back at Regina. "As I know you are technically here against your will, once you've regained solid consciousness, you can go."

Emma rushes forward. "You can't just kick her out."

"I have no intention of kicking her out. What she needs is medicine and rest. There is no reason for her to do that here versus at home once she is stable." He waits for Regina to look at him. "Are you comfortable with that?"

Regina nods just enough for him to see.

"Rest. I'll check on you soon, then you can leave." He exits the room.

Henry and Emma both take one of Regina's hands.

"I can try again. To heal you," Emma offers.

Regina shakes her head. "No. I don't need magic for this. Save your energy."

Henry scoffs. "Why are you worried about her? She did this to you."

"Henry, please don't. It was an accident. I am not upset with her, and I do not need you being upset with her on my behalf." She squeezes his hand when he rolls his eyes. "I need both of you to help me when we get home. This will not work well if you are at each other's throats." She stares at him until he nods.

Emma leans over and kisses Regina's head, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Regina smiles up at her. "I love you. Trust that I'm not upset with you."

Emma shakes her head. "I hurt you, and now I can't even heal you. How could you possibly forgive me?"

"Because I love you, and I know that you would never intentionally hurt me." Regina nods over to Henry who is glaring at Emma. "Now if you can just convince him."

Looking up, Emma holds his gaze. Regina squeezes both of their hands. "I'm tired," she says, closing her eyes. They look down at her, matching worried expressions. She quickly falls asleep.

"Henry," Emma says, waiting for him to acknowledge her. "I need you to trust me."

"I don't know if I can."

Moving to his side of the bed, she puts a hand on his arm. "You know how much I love your mom. You know I would never hurt her intentionally."

Henry quickly wipes away a tear. "I used to know that."

"Please, Henry, hear me when I tell you it was an accident, and it won't happen again."

"How do I know it won't happen again?"

She steps closer to him. "Because I'm going to get help in dealing with what happened. As soon as we go back to Atlanta. I promise."

Henry studies her face before nodding once. "Make sure you do." He steps past her and exits the room to sit with Grace.

Emma watches him for a moment before moving back to Regina. She leans down and kisses her forehead. "I love you, and I will do everything I can to protect you."

"I know," Regina says with her eyes closed, reaching up to touch Emma's cheek.

"I should've known you were faking sleep," Emma smiles against her forehead.

Regina strokes her cheek. "Lay down with me."

Emma lowers the bed rail and lays next to Regina, pulling her close.


	37. Chapter 37

After dropping Grace off at home, Henry pulls the car up to the mansion. He jumps out of the car and opens the back door where Regina is leaning against Emma.

"I can carry her in, kid," Emma tells him.

He shakes his head. "No, I can do it." He scoops her into his arms and struggles for a minute but finally lifts her out of the car.

Regina kisses his head when she sees him gritting his teeth and adjusting his grip, obviously never having carried someone this way. "I can walk, Henry."

"No." He stops walking and stares at the steps, unsure if he can make it. He tries one but fails and is back in the position he started.

Emma walks up next to him and takes Regina from his arms. "We'll get you a gym membership back at school. Don't worry." She lets Henry move past her to open the front door.

They take Regina up to her bed and lay her down. Henry quickly moves to cover her up. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Mom."

"Sweetie, I need you to do something for me," Regina says, laying a hand over his.

"Anything," he quickly nods.

"I need you to take a step back and evaluate yourself."

"What do you mean?"

She pats his hand. "You're being cruel, Henry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person. Please remember that and start showing us the boy we love and miss."

Henry retracts his hand and stands up. "What am I doing?"

"Your mother did not cause what's happening right now. She had something very serious happen to her, and instead of respecting that, you are treating her like a perpetrator."

He turns his head to look at Emma who is silently listening. "But she hurt you."

Regina waits for him to return his attention to her. "She did not hurt me. A bad situation hurt her, and I got too close. Stop blaming her for so much. She loves you. She loves me. We are a good family, so let's start acting like it."

A tear falls down Henry's cheek. "I don't like seeing you get hurt."

"I don't like getting hurt either, Henry, but I'm not attacking my family for it."

"I'm sorry," Henry whispers before turning to Emma. He clenches his fists then relaxes his fingers and pulls her into a hug.

Emma wraps her arms around him as he tries to hide his tears.

"I'm scared," he whispers in Emma's ear.

Emma tightens her hug on him. She whispers back, "I'll protect her. I promise."

Henry nods. "I trust you." He pats her on the back twice then ducks his head and leaves the room before Regina can see his face.

Even after Henry leaves, Emma keeps her eyes on the door, trying to wrap her mind around everything. "Is anything ever easy?"

"That would make life rather dull," Regina responds, curling up on the bed.

Emma turns to her and smiles. "I could use a little dull."

"Well, crawl under the covers and let me bore you."

Stripping down to a tank top and underwear, Emma lifts the covers and scoots under to spoon Regina. She kisses the side of her head carefully, as far from the impact point as possible. "I love you."

Regina presses back into her as much as she can. "It's Saturday night."

"Yeah?"

Slowly, Regina turns in Emma's arms to face her. "You said I had until Saturday night. Here we are."

Emma watches her hand run over Regina's side. "Maybe I can make an exception."

With a hand to Emma's cheek, Regina waits to gain her attention. "I love you, Emma Swan. I want to be with you. In fact, there is nothing I want more than to be with you."

"But?" Emma offers.

Regina furrows her brow. "Is there supposed to be a but?"

"Isn't there one?"

"Not from me. Is there a but from you?"

Emma shakes her head quickly. "No, no, not at all."

"Good," Regina says, scooting forward to kiss Emma.

"But-"

"But?" Regina raises an eyebrow.

Emma smiles. "Poor word choice. How is this going to work? I leave tomorrow."

"Then we'll officially date for roughly 12 hours before I kick you out."

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

Regina plays with the neck line of Emma's tank top. "We have been through a lot recently. The idea of you leaving for a month makes me feel sick, but we could probably use the space."

Emma kisses her forehead. "I don't want space anymore."

"Doesn't mean we don't need it, my love."

Emma watches Regina stare at her fingers. "We only have a few hours left together, and I incapacitated you. What luck."

Regina smiles and pushes on her lightly. "At least I never have to worry about your libido." She glances up at Emma's face. "I don't have to worry about some other man or woman in Atlanta do I?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "Get off the jealousy, Regina."

Regina scoots back. "No, I'm being serious. What does this mean between us?"

Reaching her arms out, Emma pulls Regina closer again. "Regina, I would like for you to be my girlfriend, exclusively. Which means you are the only one that gets to touch all this." Emma gestures to herself with a smirk.

Regina kisses Emma hard, wrapping her arms around her and pulling their bodies flush.

Emma returns the kiss but leaves her hands firm on Regina's back to keep herself at bay. Her eyes shoot open when she feels Regina turn them to straddle her and run her hands across her chest. "Um, babe, this might be a bit much for you."

"I feel better," Regina says quickly between kisses.

Emma pulls back from her to argue but ends up moaning when Regina suddenly ducks her head to lick and bite at one of Emma's nipples through her shirt. Taking a deep breath and shaking her head quickly, Emma pulls Regina up to her face. "You are not well. This can wait."

Instead of answering, Regina attacks Emma's neck with her mouth, palming Emma's breast with one hand while the other hand runs across Emma's abs under her shirt.

Trying hard to resist, Emma grabs Regina's thighs and scoots her back. "Regina, this is not a good idea."

Not willing to give up, Regina bunches up Emma's shirt under her arms, giving her access to the skin she so badly wants to touch.

"I don't want to give you the impression that I don't want this, cause I really really do, but Whale said you need to rest."

"Whale's an idiot," Regina gets out just before taking one of Emma's nipples in her mouth.

Emma leans forward and kisses the top of her head. "Regina, stop."

"Emma, why won't you just let me touch you?" She sits up quickly to look at Emma. Her hand goes straight to her head as she groans.

"That's why," Emma responds, gently moving Regina off of her to lay her down. She fixes her shirt. "Let me get you some medicine."

Regina nods and huffs as she sinks into the pillow. "Stupid head," she grumbles.

Emma sits down next to her and laughs at her pout. "You must have really hit your head hard because you're starting to act like me." She kisses her then helps her sit up again to take medicine.

Regina kisses her and lays her head on Emma's shoulder. "I have never been in love with someone as much as I am with you."

Emma wraps her arms around Regina and tucks her head into her neck, peppering her with light kisses. "I feel the same way."

Regina smiles and returns the embrace.


	38. Chapter 38

Having woken up first, Emma covers Regina's face in light kisses, holding her in the bed. She feels Regina stir then stiffen and smiles. "I know you're awake."

"No, I'm not," Regina replies, keeping her eyes shut.

"Henry's up already."

Regina curls into her further. "What time is it?"

Emma tries to roll over to retrieve her phone from the night stand, but Regina grabs onto her. She laughs and resorts to stretching her arm back as far as possible to pick it up between her fingers. When she gets her phone in front of her, she accidentally drops it on Regina's cheek.

"Ow," Regina whines, rubbing her cheek.

"I'm sorry," Emma quickly kisses her cheek.

"Why are you always trying to hurt me?" Regina teases, but quickly knows her mistake when Emma inhales sharply and pales. Regina sits up and grabs Emma's face. "No, Emma, I was only kidding. I'm sorry. That was a bad joke. You do not try to hurt me."

Emma drops her head. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, look at me." Regina lifts her head. "I was only teasing."

"I love you, and I just don't ever want to attribute to your pain in any way."

"I know." Regina kisses her then reaches down for her phone that fell between them. She checks the time. "You let me sleep until 10? I'm surprised you haven't shriveled up from starvation."

Emma laughs. "I am not that bad." Regina raises an eyebrow. "Okay, I may be that bad, but you were just so cute that I couldn't leave you."

"I still find it strange hearing that word in reference to me."

Emma kisses her. "It's true. So now that you're awake…"

Regina rolls her eyes. "Yes, let's go feed you."

Emma flings herself out of bed and moves over to the other side to help Regina sit up then to get dressed.

They find Henry on the couch playing video games. Regina leans down and kisses his cheek. "Are you hungry?"

He shakes his head. "I went to Granny's."

"Really?" Emma asks.

He looks up at her. "I do have a car."

"Yeah, but not any money." He grins at her and pulls her wallet out of his pocket, offering it back to her. She narrows her eyes, snatches the wallet, and lightly pops him on the back of the head. "Little thief."

Regina rubs Emma's arm. "Come on, I'll feed you."

"No," Emma responds, kissing Regina's cheek. "I'll feed you. Sit down with Henry, and I'll bring you some coffee to get started."

"Just water, please." She rolls her eyes when Emma gawks at her. "I am allowed to get dehydrated, dear."

Emma chuckles and leaves them.

Regina settles in the couch next to Henry and watches him set his controller on the table. "You can play, sweetie. It doesn't bother me."

Henry shakes his head and turns to her. "Do you really think I've been awful?"

Regina takes his hand. "I think we have all had some awful moments over the last month. These have been trying weeks between us. Your mom and I are working really hard at our relationship, and I need you to do the same with us as your parents."

He lowers his eyes and fiddles with his fingers under her hand. "I don't want you to hate me."

Regina pulls him forward and wraps her arms around him. "Henry, I could never hate you. I'm not even mad at you. I just want all of us to actively work on making this family whole. You are the cornerstone. You are what makes us a family."

He nods and returns the embrace. "I love you. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, I am. Much to your mother's dismay, I walked down here by myself." She smiles when she feels his short laugh.

"I was not dismayed," Emma says, returning with a bottle of water. "I just think it's too much too soon."

Regina accepts the water bottle and takes a few sips. "You just like any excuse to touch me."

Emma grins. "Yeah, that's true."

"You guys are so gross," Henry groans.

"Just wait until you have to hear our phone calls over the next month," Emma says with a wink.

He shakes his whole body and gags while Regina glares at Emma. "That may have been slightly unnecessary, my love."

Emma shrugs. "But it was funny." She turns and goes back to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

Once Emma is out of sight, Regina rubs Henry's back. "She's only being playful."

"I know." He smiles at her. "Honestly, although the notion of either of you having sex with anyone is gross based on principle alone, I'm happy you have each other. I certainly wouldn't want anyone else trying to infiltrate our family."

"Infiltrate is a strong term."

Henry shrugs. "That's what it would feel like. Anyone else could just be a threat to our family. You and Ma were obviously always meant to be together. Guess the stars and fates and shit finally aligned enough."

Regina rolls her eyes. "You are getting a thesaurus for your birthday." Before he can continue, she holds up her hand. "I understand what you are saying. Maybe we were meant to be together, maybe not, but we are, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Emma hands Regina a plate of pancakes. "That's good cause I'd hate to break up on day one." She kisses her cheek then moves around the couch to sit next to Henry with her own plate, one pancake already half eaten. "Let's play, kid." Henry smiles and lunges for his controller.

"Thank you for expanding your culinary horizons for me, dear." Regina smirks, taking a small bite of pancake.

Emma leans forward to look at her. "I'll take a cooking class for you, alright?"

"That would be such a nice event for you to do together."

Henry and Emma look at each other and sigh. "Fine," they say together before turning their attention to the game.

Regina leans back on the couch to watch them and winces when her head suddenly starts hurting. She bites her lip to stave off her whimper and clenches her fists. Not able to fight it anymore, she jolts off the couch.

Seeing Regina stumble out of the room quickly, Emma leaps over the couch to follow after her. She catches up to Regina leaning over the toilet, puking up what little contents she had in her stomach then dry heaving. Emma kneels at her side and rubs her back. "Whale said you might fight some nausea for a few days."

"I hate him," Regina grumbles before heaving again.

Emma laughs. "We probably shouldn't shoot the messenger, but I am sorry he was right." Once Regina calms, Emma helps her to her feet and to wash her hands and mouth. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"Not at all. I want to be with you two. Let me just rest on the couch for a bit while you play." Regina clutches onto Emma's shirt and stares at her, hoping for no argument.

Emma nods and kisses her. "Okay, but if it becomes too much, you being healthy is more important than us being together."

"I beg to differ." Regina's eyes widen when Emma scoops her up to carry her. "Miss Swan, put me down. I can walk."

"You know I refuse to listen to you when you call me Miss Swan." Emma carries her to the living room.

"Fine. Emma, put me down."

"I will," Emma assures her. "On the couch." She smiles and takes Regina over to the couch and sets her in the corner. She pushes on Henry to scoot over and takes his seat.

Regina tucks her knees up to her stomach and lays her head in Emma's lap, facing Emma's stomach. She lifts Emma's shirt high enough so she can kiss her abs.

After a minute, Henry looks down at Regina still kissing all over Emma's stomach. "Gonna do that all game, Mom?"

Regina nods and wraps her arm around Emma's back to pull her closer.

Emma gives him a cocky grin. "See, kid, you need to work out so Grace can appreciate your abs too."

Henry rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the advice, Ma."


	39. Chapter 39

About an hour later, Emma and Henry have both nearly chewed off the tongues sticking out of their mouths as they battle on the game.

Emma yells when Regina suddenly sits up and is only inches from her face. "Emma, I just realized something horrible."

"What? What's wrong?" Emma says, trying to catch her breath.

Regina closes her eyes and fists Emma's shirt. "I can't drive."

With a furrowed brow, Emma looks over at Henry who just shrugs. She looks back and pats Regina's back. "I think it'll be okay."

Regina glares at her and swats her arm. "That means I can't drive you to the airport." Emma just stares at her, waiting. "That means we have to ask your parents to take us."

Realization suddenly hitting her, Emma flings back on the couch, accidentally taking Regina with her. "No, this is terrible."

"I told you," Regina says, pushing off of her to sit up.

Emma looks at her hopefully. "Maybe my dad will just take us?"

Even Henry laughs at that. "Yeah, good luck gettin' Gram to stay home."

With a fake cry, Emma closes her eyes again and rests it on the couch. "I don't wanna."

Up in her bedroom, Emma tosses items in her carryon bag while Regina lies on the bed watching her. She pushes clothes down in the hamper and turns to Regina. "Are you sure you don't mind washing these before I come back? I have a feeling they wouldn't survive a whole month in there."

Regina smiles. "I'll take care of it."

"I can always go start the laundry now," Emma offers.

"I said I'll take care of it." Regina looks around the room, not seeing any more mess. "Are you done yet?"

Emma takes a last glance. "I think so."

"Good. Come over here." Regina holds out her hand for Emma to join her on the bed.

So as not to bounce Regina around, Emma gently lays down and scoots close to Regina. Regina immediately starts kissing her, pulling their bodies flush. Emma pulls her head back a bit. "You still aren't well enough for this to go any further."

"I want you naked."

Emma sighs. "Regina, please."

Regina takes off her own shirt and bra. She smirks when Emma bites her lip and stares at her chest. She reaches down and tugs on Emma's shirt until Emma finally gives up and lets Regina take it off. She smiles when Emma reaches around to unclasp her own bra.

Emma gently pulls Regina down on top of her and kisses her slowly. Every time Regina tries to speed up or harden the kiss, Emma pulls away. "I want to touch you, and I want to feel you. But I also want you to not throw up on me or pass out."

Regina sighs. "I know. Take your clothes off and let me lie here with you. I'm not asking to have sex. I just want to remember what you look and feel like."

Emma kisses her and removes her pants. She rolls Regina on her back and slowly pulls off her pants, kissing the exposed skin. When she moves back up Regina's body, she stops and places a kiss on Regina's clit, causing an immediate jerk and moan.

Regina grabs her arm and pulls her up to her face. "That is cruel."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." Emma replies without a hint of sorrow before wrapping her arms around Regina and rolling her back on top of her.

"I love you," Regina says between kisses.

"I love you too," Emma responds. She opens her eyes when she feels a tear hit her cheek. Regina has her eyes clenched shut, fighting her tears while she kisses Emma. Emma reaches up and wipes at the tears. "I'll be back soon."

Regina buries her head in the crook of Emma's neck and cries softly. "I feel like I just now finally have you, and you're leaving."

Emma nods. "I know. And it really fucking sucks." She ducks her head to look at Regina when she doesn't scold or at least swat Emma. "Regina?"

Rather than responding, Regina just kisses Emma's throat and tightens her grip on her. "We only have a little bit of time left. Just lay with me. I don't want to talk about what comes next."

"Okay," Emma says, kissing Regina's head and wrapping her arms around her.

Close to an hour later, a knock sounds on the door. Emma looks down to see Regina is asleep. She pulls the comforter over them before speaking. "As long as you don't look too closely, you can come in."

Henry peeks his head in and quickly moves his eyes to Emma's face only. "Gram's here."

She nods. "We'll be down in a minute. Your mom is asleep."

He nods and closes the door softly.

Regina kisses her neck. "Are you going down there to announce to your whole family we were lying in bed together again?"

"I'm not sure my mother could handle it, and I don't need my little brother trying to kill me."

"I don't want to deal with your mother," Regina says, running her hands over Emma's sides.

"Me neither," Emma says, kissing her head.

They lay together silently, but Emma raises an eyebrow when she feels Regina's hand starting to explore a bit more. "Um, Regina?"

"Shush," she replies, lifting up a bit to let her hand run over Emma's torso, stopping to palm her breast and nipple.

Emma moans. "Babe, we need to get up."

Regina presses a thigh between Emma's legs and sucks at her pulse point.

Unable to control herself, her hips slowly rock into Regina's thigh. She presses her nails into Regina's back, trying not to let her hands wander. She moans again when Regina sucks on one of her nipples while the other is rolled between Regina's fingers. "Regina-"

Regina kisses her to shut her up. "I am going to make you cum, with your mother waiting in my living room, so I suggest you shut up unless you want her to hear."

"Oh, fuck," Emma breathes out when Regina slides her hand between her thigh and Emma's core.

Regina dips her fingers into Emma briefly then drags her wetness up to her clit and uses her thigh as help to apply pressure.

Emma tries to resist at first, but when Regina starts grinding against her, she loses her resolve. Her hands move down and massage Regina's ass, driving Regina against her harder. She lifts her head to capture Regina's lips in a hard kiss, nipping at her bottom lip and exploring her mouth.

Regina lets Emma moan into her mouth, but when she feels Emma getting closer and in turn louder, she pulls away from a kiss, letting Emma's moan rip through the air. She smiles wickedly at Emma's glare and starts kissing and biting Emma's neck with the full intention of leaving marks to send her away with.

Moving her hips in time with Regina's, Emma clenches her eyes and throws her head back as her orgasm approaches. Remembering not to make too much noise, she bites her lip and turns her head into the pillow.

Regina runs her tongue up the newly exposed skin. "Cum for me," she husks in Emma's ear, increasing the speed of her hand against Emma's clit.

Emma nods weakly and yells into the pillow as her orgasm washes over her.

"You're lucky I didn't move that pillow," Regina teases, kissing all over Emma's face as Emma slowly comes down from her high.

Emma rolls her head back to look at Regina. "She better not have heard that moan."

Regina kisses her. "Only one way to find out." She moves off of Emma to sit up.

Lunging forward, Emma grabs her arm to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"We have to go, my love. Besides, you're right. It would be too much for me right now. I'm already a little light headed as it is." She kisses Emma and moves off the bed to gather her clothes.

Emma sighs and gets up as well. "I wish you wouldn't have done that."

"You didn't like me touching you?"

"I don't like making you feel worse, and it obviously did." Emma shoves her legs into her pants, yanking them up.

Regina pulls on her shirt and walks around the bed to stand in front of Emma. "Trust me, my love, it was worth it." She kisses her. "Now let's go face your parents."

Following Regina, Emma pulls on her own shirt and picks up her bag to go downstairs.

They find Mary Margaret sitting on the edge of the couch with David behind her and Henry and Neal playing.

"Regina," Mary Margaret glares at her. "I hear you're feeling better."

"Dammit, Regina!" Emma yells, burying her face in her hands while Regina smirks back at Mary Margaret.


	40. Chapter 40

In the back seat of Henry's car, Emma sits between Regina and Mary Margaret who simply insisted that David sit up front.

Regina lays her head on Emma's shoulder and places her hand firmly on her upper thigh, a bit too high for decency. She feels Emma's leg tense and has to fight not laugh at the huff from Mary Margaret.

Trying to be discreet, Emma glares at her from the corner of her eye. Regina just smiles and kisses her cheek.

Mary Margaret can't contain herself any longer. "Is that necessary?"

"Is what necessary, dear?" Regina asks innocently.

Mary Margaret gestures to them. "That."

"I have to apologize, I just don't know what you mean. Maybe if you explained yourself more clearly."

Emma sighs and leans back so they can see each other.

Mary Margaret narrows her eyes. "I don't understand what you're getting out of this, Regina."

"Has it occurred to you that what I'm getting out of it is Emma, and that's exactly what I want?"

"I don't trust you."

Regina smirks. "That's nothing new, Snow. Surely you've come up with more excuses than that by now."

Mary Margaret crosses her arms. "I don't need a reason to hate this."

"That's right," Emma interjects. "You just will take any reason in the world to hate what I love and make my entire family miserable."

Regina's face softens and she sits back, hoping to end the conversation.

Mary Margaret doesn't share the sentiment and presses on. "No, she's doing something to you. She's not a good a person, and she wants to take you down a bad path as well."

Emma laughs derisively and shakes her head.

Regina leans forward again. "You've done enough, Snow. I suggest you stop talking."

"Or what?" Mary Margaret challenges.

"Or I'll never talk to you again," Emma says, staring her down until she concedes and sits back.

Regina intertwines her fingers with Emma's and has to focus on her breathing to ignore the pain from Emma holding her hand so tightly. The remainder of the car ride to the airport is silent.

At the airport, Regina goes through the line leaning heavily on Henry while Emma gets the tickets. Mary Margaret and David wait near security to say goodbye.

As the three move toward security, Henry discreetly tugs on Emma and nods toward Regina who is leaning so heavily on Henry at this point that he's having a hard time walking.

Emma quickly moves to Regina's other side and shifts her over to her own arm. "Hey, hey, what's going on?"

Regina smiles up at her. "I'm really tired. The car ride made me feel dizzy."

"What do you need me to do?"

Regina blinks a couple of times and clears her throat before standing up as much as she can. "Give me a kiss. Get on a plane. Don't forget you love me while you're gone."

Emma smiles. "I could never forget." She kisses Regina sweetly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Keeping one arm on Emma, Regina turns to Henry. "And I love you, sweetie. I'm so thankful we had this time together." She pulls him into a hug.

He hugs her tightly back. "Me too, Mom. We will be back before you know it."

She kisses his cheeks then turns back to Emma. "At 8am tomorrow, there will be a lawyer at your door ready to escort you to work."

Emma's face instantly pales. Regina reaches up and strokes her cheek. "She will be available whenever you need her. If you get there and decide you can't do it, she will be back the next morning for you. However long it takes."

Emma swallows thickly and nods. "Okay."

Regina pulls her head forward and kisses her deeply. "Call me every day."

"Of course," Emma responds, kissing her again.

Mary Margaret and David step up next to them. Mary Margaret puts her arms out for Henry, and he smiles before stepping into her hug. David hugs him next.

Regina grabs onto Henry's arm and moves to lean against him while Emma says her farewells.

Emma hugs David. "I love you, Dad. Thanks for everything."

He kisses her cheek and moves to stand next to Regina. He jumps when Regina immediately latches onto his arm. She gives him a pleading look so he nods once and slides closer to her. They all direct their attention to the stare down between Mary Margaret and Emma.

Mary Margaret clears her throat. "Things may not have gone wonderfully; however, you are still my daughter, and I love you very much."

"You only love me cause I'm your daughter?"

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "No, that's not what I mean. Emma, I know that I am not handling this… change well, but please be patient with me."

Emma shrugs. "You've got a month." She leans down and kisses her mom's cheek. "I love you. Bye." She turns her back to Mary Margaret and is surprised to see David and Regina so close.

Regina lets go of Henry and pulls Emma into another kiss.

David coughs and looks away.

"Be safe," Regina tells her. "Call when you land."

"Hopefully you'll be asleep by then. But I will leave a message for you." She kisses her head then nods to Henry. They walk to security together.

Once they are out of ear shot, Regina leans closer to David, but maintains her eyes on Emma and Henry so she can smile and wave at them each time they look over their shoulders. "Something's wrong."

"What?" David asks, also watching the duo. He dips his head to hear her better.

"David, something is wrong with me. Emma can't know."

"Regina, what are you talking about?"

Regina waves to Henry when he turns back again. "Promise me you won't tell Emma."

He turns to her. "Regina, I don't-"

"David. Promise me," she hisses out.

He nods quickly. "Alright. I promise."

Regina smiles and waves as Henry and Emma disappear through security. As soon as they are out of sight, Regina bends at the waist, a hand on her stomach.

David bends down. "What's wrong?"

"I- I can't see out of my right eye." Regina's eyes move back and forth rapidly as if she can regain her vision by looking harder.

Mary Margaret steps forward and eyes them. "Regina, what are you trying to pull?"

Enraged, Regina stands up quickly and moves toward Mary Margaret. She puts a finger in her face. "This has got to end. You are making her miserable, Snow. Stop being such a hateful person and put your daughter first for once. You don't-" Regina stumbles a bit but straightens up again. "You don't understand-" She stumbles. She takes a deep breath and tries to stand again, but instead she falls back into David's arms.

He scoops her up. "We've got to get her to a hospital."

Mary Margaret stares at her in his arms.

"Mary Margaret!" he snaps. "We have to go."

She nods quickly. "I'll drive." They rush out of the airport.


	41. Chapter 41

Mary Margaret and David, Regina unconscious in his arms, sprint into the ER, only slowing for a moment at the sheer size of the place.

Mary Margaret stops at the desk. "She-she passed out. She has a head injury, and-"

"Stand right there," the triage nurse instructs. She gestures to two nurses behind her who quickly get up and leave the space.

They come around the corner with a gurney, helping David lay her down. No one stopping them, David and Mary Margaret follow behind the fast-paced nurses.

She is transferred to a bed once they enter a room. A nurse is waiting to set up her IV and check her vitals.

Mary Margaret presses back into David as they watch from the corner of the room.

Another nurse comes in and directs her attention to them. "I need you to fill out her information, please. A doctor will be in shortly after you've completed the forms."

"I'll do it," Mary Margaret says, taking the clipboard offered to her. She takes a seat and quickly starts scrawling down all of the information she knows. Once completed, she hands the forms to David, and he leaves the room.

Standing up, she moves slowly over to the hospital bed, as if worried she might disturb Regina. At Regina's side, she looks down on her. She moves a strand of hair from Regina's face. "I hope you're as peaceful as you look."

David reenters the room and stops when he sees Mary Margaret run her hand over Regina's head. "What are you thinking?" he asks softly, noticing Mary Margaret's sorrowful look.

Taking a deep breath, she walks over and hugs David. "I don't want her in our family, David, but I never wanted this for her."

David rubs her back. "I think she's been a part of our family for a lot longer than you like to admit."

Mary Margaret sighs but removes her arms when she sees a doctor enter the room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Atkins. I am overseeing the ER today."

Mary Margaret and David shake his hand and introduce themselves.

"And this is," he looks at her folder, "Regina Mills. Can you tell me what happened?" He moves over to the bed to examine Regina.

Mary Margaret moves to the other side of the bed and starts, "She passed out at the airport. She was under a bit of stress which may have attributed to it, but she already was struggling after the car ride. The other day, she hit her head pretty hard. She went to the hospital later that day after passing out, I think."

"Can you tell me how she hit her head?"

Mary Margaret and David look at each other then back to the doctor. "There was an accident, and she was sort of thrown into a wall. Her head hit the corner of a picture frame from what I understand. Just a couple of hours later, her symptoms started hitting her."

"She said she was blind in one eye at the airport moments before fainting," David adds.

Dr. Atkins lifts her eyelids and checks her pupils. "Which eye?"

"Her, um, her right, I'm pretty sure." David slides over next to Mary Margaret and takes her hand.

"Her pupils look normal." He lifts her head and gently feels around until his fingers find the knot. "Closed injury." He looks up at them. "Other symptoms? Fatigue, irritation, loss of balance or coordination, memory loss?"

"It's hard to say about irritation," Mary Margaret says flatly. David squeezes her hand so she continues. "We weren't there when it happened, but we know she's had a hard time walking on her own, and the car ride seemed to make things worse. She looked exhausted and certainly lacked much balance."

The doctor nods. "I need to run some tests. A nurse will be back shortly to set up the scans." He turns and leaves the room.

Mary Margaret turns and places her head on David's chest. "We need to tell Emma."

"She's still on the plane."

"We will leave her a message then."

David looks at Regina's face. "We can't. She shouldn't have to find out over a message."

Mary Margaret pushes back to look at him. "Okay, then we'll call her when she lands."

"Don't you think it'd be best to wait until we know more?"

Reaching up, Mary Margaret turns David's face to look at her. "Why don't you want to tell Emma?"

He drops his eyes. "She made me promise."

"Promise what?"

"Promise not to tell Emma. I think she wants to let Emma get through her day tomorrow without anything else burdening her."

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "David, we can't keep that promise."

He puts his hands on her shoulders. "I disagree. Just for tomorrow. Let Emma do what she needs to do. This will only make things worse."

Mary Margaret studies his face for a long time before sighing and nodding. "Fine, but we can't keep this from her forever."

David shrugs. "Hey, maybe she'll be awake by then, and it won't be an issue."

Mary Margaret turns to look at Regina. "She doesn't look like she's waking up anytime soon, David." She places her hand over Regina's.

Henry and Emma enter their apartment and both drop their bags immediately.

"I'm not sure if I really missed it," Emma says. "But it's good to see it."

Henry nods. "Wanna play a video game?"

"It's a little late, kid. We both have early mornings. I'm gonna call your mom." She hugs him then goes to her bedroom and plops down on her bed, pulling out her phone. She runs her hand over the picture of Henry and Regina and smiles before calling Regina.

The phone goes to voicemail as she anticipated. "Hey, babe. Tis I. We landed a while ago and are now back in the apartment. We were, surprise surprise, starving so went to the Varsity. We didn't take you cause it's disgustingly greasy and so good, but there is literally nothing for you to eat. Got some brain freezes from the F.O.'s then headed here. Plane ride was kind of bumpy and lame, but all in all it was fine. I'm trying really hard not to miss you already, but I'm failing terribly. Hopefully you not answering means you are getting some much needed rest. You were making me a bit nervous in the airport, but I know my parents would have told me if you didn't make it home alright, so I'm glad to know you're safe. I love you. If you don't mind, I'll call you in the morning before the lawyer shows up. I could use the boost. Alright. I love you. Sleep tight."

Emma ends the call and stares up at the ceiling. "Tomorrow is gonna suck." She grabs her blanket and pulls it over herself, rolling onto her side and going to sleep fully dressed.


	42. Chapter 42

While the nurses worked on changing Regina into a hospital gown and prepped her for tests, Mary Margaret and David found some dinner then opted to stay in the waiting room. They stand and move towards the doctor when he enters and finds them.

"Is she okay?" Mary Margaret asks quickly.

"You have her next of kin listed as her son. Is he available to be here?" Dr. Atkins asks, a full file at his side.

"No, he just left on a plane. That's why we were at the airport."

"Is there another family member that can be here? I would prefer to discuss her condition with family members only."

David steps forward. "Well, Henry is our grandson."

"Oh, so Ms. Mills is… your daughter?" He furrows his brow, not missing the lack of age difference in the three.

They look at each other. Mary Margaret huffs and looks back at the doctor. "Yes, she's our daughter-in-law. Our daughter took the flight with their son. She has no other family."

The doctor nods. "Very well then. Follow me back to her room, please."

Once in the room, the doctor gestures for them to sit. "She appears to have a cerebral contusion- a brain bruise. There is bleeding in the brain around the impact point. Now, she had to have hit her head rather hard for this to happen. You said she was thrown into a wall?"

David looks at Mary Margaret then nods to the doctor. "Our daughter experienced a traumatic event. It seems Regina caught her at a bad time, and Emma lashed out thinking she was re-experiencing the event. She pushed Regina before realizing it was her."

The doctor studies them then nods. "I need you to understand that Mrs. Mills will have to speak with a social worker about the incident when she regains consciousness."

Mary Margaret buries her face in her hand. "This would never happen in Storybrooke," she whispers to David.

He nods and rubs her back. "Unfortunately, here we are."

The doctor continues. "Once she regains consciousness, she will need to stay here until the bleeding stops to ensure there is no further swelling of the brain which can lead to more severe symptoms."

"Her vision?" David asks.

"The bruise is impacting the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. Once the bruise and the swelling decrease, her vision will return."

"How long will that take?" Mary Margaret asks.

"We won't really know until she wakes up."

"Well how long will that take?" Mary Margaret asks, concern rising in her voice.

The doctor places her folder in the file holder at the end of her bed. "Unfortunately, I cannot give you that answer. We are unable to see if the brain is still actively bleeding, just that there is blood and a bruise in the area. We will continue to run tests to check for a decrease in the level of blood. That will tell us whether her brain is healing or not. I'm sorry that I don't have more answers for you. A nurse will return soon to admit her to in-patient care." He exits the room.

"Oh, god," Mary Margaret drops her head on David's shoulder. "We have to tell Emma. She's going to hate me forever if I don't tell her."

David wraps his arms around her. "She'll understand Regina's wish to give Emma time to take care of herself."

"You know that's a lie," Mary Margaret scoffs.

David sighs and clenches his eyes shut.

The next morning, Emma bangs on Henry's door to wake him up then sets to make coffee. She pulls out her phone and calls Regina, but it goes to voicemail. She hangs up and tries again. No answer. She finishes making coffee and drops onto a barstool before trying a third time.

When the phone goes to voicemail, she sighs and waits to leave a message. "I'd say good morning, but this must mean you're still asleep. I'm going to try my hardest to take that as a good sign of healing. The lawyer will be here soon, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I wish I could just hear your voice. Ugh, I'm sorry this isn't meant to be a guilt trip. Get some rest, babe. I'll call you after I go through the gauntlet. Wish me luck. I love you. Talk to you soon." She drops her phone on the counter.

She jumps a little when Henry pats her on the back. "Didn't mean to scare you," he says, stepping into the kitchen to dig through the fridge. "We should probably go to the store cause some of this is expired now."

"We'll go tonight," Emma responds, fiddling with her phone.

"Mom didn't answer?" he asks, leaning on the counter in front of her.

"Yeah, I guess she's just still sleeping. She looked awful at the airport."

He nods. "I know. I hope she's alright."

Emma shrugs. "I'm sure she is. My mom might despise her, but that doesn't mean she'd just let her suffer alone. All that goodness is still deep down somewhere for Regina."

"Little hard to see sometimes, but I agree." Henry makes himself a cup of coffee.

Emma looks up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Drinking coffee."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"Since when?"

Henry smiles. "Every morning after you leave for work."

Emma studies him. "Aren't you too young for coffee?"

"You do realize how old I actually am, right?"

"I haven't accepted it yet."

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I've noticed."

A knock sounds on the door. They stare at each other.

"Want me to get it?" Henry offers.

Emma shakes her head and takes a deep breath. "No, I can do it." After a large sip of coffee, Emma goes to the door. She opens it. "Hi-" She stares at the incredibly gorgeous woman in front of her in a pant suit carrying a brief case. "Um, can I help you?"

"Ms. Swan?" she asks. When Emma nods, she extends her hand for a shake. "Genevieve Rogan. You may call me Gen. I was hired to be at your disposal."

Emma slowly shakes her hand. "You're my lawyer?"

Gen nods.

Emma's eyes scan over her body. "Regina hired you?"

"Yes. I have all of the correspondence from the HR discussions so that when you are ready, we can sit down with Human Resources and discuss the matter." When Emma simply stares at her, she raises an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Ms Swan?"

"Does Regina know who you are? What you look like?"

"I'm not entirely sure where this is headed; however, yes she does. We have met in the past."

Emma nods. "It's just surprising with her history of… seeing me around attractive women and… making assumptions."

"Although I appreciate the compliment, I think it would be best to get to work."

"Right, yes. Come in. I just need to finish getting ready."

Gen follows her in and stands by the kitchen counter. Henry tries to cover up his laugh towards Emma when she glares at him.

Emma goes into her room and pulls out her phone to text Regina: Met Gen. Sure you don't have brain damage? ;)

She chuckles to herself and finishes getting ready.


	43. Chapter 43

Outside her office building, Emma bounces on her toes. Gen walks patiently next to her. "I have to do this, don't I?" Emma asks.

"In the end, the choice is yours; however, I would advise you to follow through."

"That sounds like a yes." Emma turns to her. "No wonder Regina hired you. You're a lot like her." Emma raises her eyebrow when she sees Gen's lip quirk into a smile, but it's gone in an instant.

Gen opens the door. "Shall we?"

Emma sighs and slumps her shoulders as she passes through the doorway. She nearly rubs her jeans thin under her palms during the elevator ride. The door slides open and Emma freezes.

Gen gently pulls her from the elevator. "If you choose to go back down, that's fine." With a short nod, Emma steps into the office.

As they round the corner near the cubicles, Braden looks up. "Hey, Em."

Emma spins around to him. "Emma, Braden. It's Emma."

He leans away from her. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it bothered you."

"Yeah, cause you don't give a damn about anyone other than yourself." She holds a glare on him.

"Come along, Ms. Swan," Gen says, gently tapping Emma's arm. "No need to start trouble."

Emma narrows her eyes at him one last time before following Gen.

"I'm surprised to see you, Emma."

Emma stops dead in her tracks. She slowly turns around to see her supervisor standing behind her.

"Don't you know by now not to bring your girlfriends to work?" She asks with her arms crossed, staring intensely at Emma.

Gen steps up to Emma's side. "Genevieve Roland. And you are?"

"I'm sure you already know. Emma, you've got something on your neck." She runs her fingers across her neck where Regina's hickeys are visible.

"Thank you for making this so easy," Gen says, taking Emma's arm and leading her to the HR office.

They step through the office. Gen walks up to the desks and sets her briefcase down. "Bold choice allowing my client's supervisor to work today. Is there anything else you would like to hand to me on a silver platter for this lawsuit?"

They all gawk at her, Emma included.

Hours later, Gen and Emma sit down to eat lunch at a café near Emma's office.

Emma picks at her fries while Gen eats a salad. "You even eat like her."

"Actually, I'm a vegetarian while she simply has a healthy diet."

"Why do you know that?"

Gen leans back in her chair and crosses her legs. "We have spoken on occasion."

"Recently?"

She fights a smirk. "Only about your case."

Emma leans back and studies her. "Are you a lawyer in Atlanta?"

"New York."

"Why are you here?"

"I was hired."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "You seem more like the kind of lawyer that jobs come to versus you going to jobs."

"Special request," Gen says, slowly sipping her water.

"How special?"

Gen sits up and lays her hands on the table. "Perhaps this is a conversation best suited for you and Regina." She sets cash on the table. "We will talk in the morning. Have a good day, Ms. Swan."

Emma watches her leave with her arms crossed. Once she is out of sight, Emma drops her head. "Great, now I'm the jealous one." She fumbles in her pocket for her phone.

She tries Regina twice before it goes to voicemail. "Well this just isn't working out, is it? I'm sure you're bogged down in work from the last week. Hopefully the town hasn't burnt down or something. Um, we met with HR and that awful woman was there. They freaking let her work. And then they actually brought her into the office while we were talking so they could talk to both of us, and I thought your little friend Gen was going to start throwing confetti. Girl had dollar signs in her eyes the whole time. Speaking of her… there's a story there for you to tell, babe. Please give me a call as soon as you can. I miss you, and I love you. It would be really nice to talk about the meeting with you. Alright, well, I hope to talk to you soon. Bye."

Emma ends the call and stares at her phone. "What the hell, Regina? You could at least send a damn text."

In the hospital, Mary Margaret and David stare at Regina's phone when another voicemail from Emma comes through.

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "This isn't okay, David."

David sighs. "Let's just give it time, okay?"

"No. One of us needs to talk to her."

"Then call her about the meeting at work. But don't tell her about Regina." He kisses her forehead. "Not yet."

"She's going to ask about her."

David shrugs. "Then lie."

"David, no. I can't do that." Mary Margaret pushes back from him. "I can't believe you would ask me to do that."

"Then I'll call, okay?"

Mary Margaret nods.

David pulls out his phone and stares at it. He calls Emma and closes his eyes.

"Hey, Dad."

"Emma, hi. How are you?"

"Um, alright, I guess. Do you need something?"

"I was just calling to check on you. You know, see how things went today."

"Oh, well thanks. You got lucky catching me at lunch time. Though I guess I'm not going back today anyways."

David takes a seat in the hospital room. "How did it go?"

"It was weird. My lawyer is fantastic at her job and has some strange connection to Regina that I'm going to beat out of one of them."

David laughs lightly. "I'm sure Regina will tell you."

"Yeah, have you seen her today?"

David focuses on Mary Margaret. "No, I haven't."

"Was she okay last night?"

"She was pretty worn out. She went to sleep right away."

"Can you check on her please? She hasn't answered my calls or texts, and I know she's probably busy combined with not feeling well, but I still would have thought she'd want to talk to me today."

David clenches his eyes shut at the pain in Emma's voice. "Emma, I'm sure she wants nothing more than to talk to you. She was out of the office for nearly a week. There may just be too much going on."

"I guess. Can you just talk to her and ask her to call me, please?"

"Yes, Emma. I'll talk to her. I've got to get back to work. How about I call you later?"

"Okay, that's fine. Thanks for calling, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Emma. Bye." David ends the call and slams the phone down in his lap.


	44. Chapter 44

Back at the apartment, Emma stares at her phone on the coffee table. She doesn't bother looking up when Henry comes home.

"Hey, Ma," he says, setting down his school bag and dropping in the chair across from her. "You alright?"

"Your mom won't answer or call me back. Won't even send a text."

"She doesn't text much," Henry offers.

Emma looks over at him. "I think she could spare ten seconds and a few key strokes, don't you?"

Henry shrugs. "There's gotta be a good reason."

"Maybe I pushed her too much. Maybe she doesn't really want this relationship. Is it possible she was just appeasing me to stop all the arguing then shoved me on a plane where I can't bug her anymore?"

"No, Ma. That's not it." Henry gets up and sits next to her on the couch. "There is no way Mom would have just pretended to love you. You guys had some serious moments at home. I don't think she could have faked that even if she wanted to."

Emma slumps down further in the cushions and shoves her phone on the floor with her foot.

"That's sure to help," Henry says sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, Emma nudges him a bit with her shoulder.

He pulls out his phone. "I'll give her a call."

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

Henry furrows his brow. "Why not?"

"If she answers for you but not for me, I'm going to be livid."

Henry stares at his phone then back up at her. "Well, if she answers, I'll hand you the phone, okay?"

Emma nods. "Might as well. Let's see if we can affirm my fears that she still loves you but not me."

"Ma, come on." He calls Regina and puts the phone on speaker. It goes to voicemail. He tries two more times with the same result. "I wonder if she lost her phone."

Emma rolls her eyes. "She has an office phone and a house phone." Suddenly Emma lunges forward and grabs her phone. "I told Gramps to check on her. Maybe he'll know. Let me give him a call."

A few states up in the hospital, David pulls out his ringing phone and presents it to Mary Margaret.

She clenches her eyes and sighs. "Just answer it."

"Emma, hey. How are things?" David asks, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

"Hey. Did you see Regina today like I asked?"

David stares at Mary Margaret. She throws up her hands. "I can't support this." Turning, she storms out of the room, leaving David to himself.

"No. No, I didn't. I'm sorry. We had some issues at work, and I couldn't make it over."

"Oh. That's… Well, can you go over to her house and check on her or something? I'm not trying to be a nag or anything, but this is just really unlike her and I'm worried. You don't even know if she made it out of the house today. Something could be wrong."

David stares at Regina's still unconscious form in the bed. "I'm sure she's fine, Emma."

"Dad, please."

"She and your mother got in a fight at the airport. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see us."

"Geez, can Mom take a damn chill pill already? Wearing me the fuck out."

"I'm sorry."

"Just go by yourself, Dad. She's not going to set you on fire. She may even appreciate the concern. Please, Dad. I need to know that she's okay."

"Emma, I'll do my best. My phone's dying. I may just have to call you tomorrow."

"Dad. Please do this for me."

"I love you. I'll talk to you tomorrow." David ends the call and immediately powers off his phone.

Mary Margaret stands in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest. "You're unbelievable."

David sighs and turns to her. "Mary Margaret, please. I'm just trying to do what's best."

"No, you're really not."

He approaches and reaches out for her, but she pulls back. "Should we just text Emma from her phone?"

Mary Margaret's jaw drops. "You want to impersonate Regina to our daughter? Have you lost your mind?"

He throws up his hands. "I don't know. I'm trying to help."

She shakes her head. "One of us needs to go back to Storybrooke. Grace can't watch Neal forever, and the town needs to be taken care of. Go be sheriff. I'll stay here."

"You don't have to stay."

Mary Margaret glares at him. "I hope you don't mean that. We are not leaving her here completely alone, David. What kind of people would that make us? We are already doing enough damage by lying to Emma and Henry. We'll be lucky if Emma ever forgives us for that alone."

David nods. "I'm sorry. I'll go, but I'll come back with a bag for you tomorrow. Want me to bring Neal just to say hi?"

"That would be nice." She stands on her tiptoes to kiss him and steps out of the doorway. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He tries to hug her, but she refuses the embrace and goes to Regina's bedside instead. He runs his hand over his hair and grits his teeth before turning and exiting the room.

Regina's phone lights up on the table with a text message from Henry: Mom please call. We're worried.

It lights up again with a text message from Emma: I love you. I'll wait up for your call as long as it takes. Hope to hear from you soon. Dont kill my dad when he stops by.

Mary Margaret closes her eyes after reading the texts. A tear rolls down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Emma."


	45. Chapter 45

The next morning, Emma stares at her coffee, her phone on the counter next to her.

Henry comes up next to her. "Mom call?"

"What do you think?"

He frowns. "I'm sorry. She didn't respond to me either. Did you get any sleep?"

Emma glances up at him, bags under her eyes, then back to her coffee.

At 8:00 on the dot, a knock sounds on the door. Emma stands up. "Maybe she's talked to Regina."

"Why would she?"

Emma shrugs. "Something weird between them."

Henry rolls his eyes. "You're delusional from lack of sleep."

"And potential heart break," she mumbles as she goes to the door.

Gen scans over Emma when the door opens. "I would say good morning, but I believe you would beg to differ.

"There was a hint of humor there. Careful, you'll break your tough exterior."

Gen simply raises an eyebrow and waits.

Emma sighs and waves her into the apartment. "What do we have to do today?"

"We will be going to a temporary office and discussing the next course of action. Perhaps afterwards you can play twenty questions again."

"Your sass might just break this camel's back, fyi." Emma chugs her coffee and grabs her phone. "Later, kid," she waves as she leaves the apartment.

In the hallway, Emma watches Gen. "Have you talked to Regina?"

"Are you referring to a specific timeframe?" Gen keeps her focus straight ahead.

"Yeah, recently." Emma leans to catch Gen's eyes, but it's not use.

"We have not spoken since Sunday."

"Why not?"

"No reason to."

"But she hired you."

"For you. You are my client and with whom I should be speaking. She is merely paying your fees."

"I could be paying those," Emma says confidently.

Gen turns to look at Emma and smirks. "I'm sure you could, Ms. Swan." She looks back ahead and holds the door open for Emma as they exit.

Emma narrows her eyes at her in passing.

Mary Margaret jolts awake in the chair when Regina's phone dings. She gets up and sees another text from Emma: Gen is practically 6 foot of pure sass. Gonna need to know where you found this woman. So maybe you could be bothered to call or text or anything…

With a sigh, Mary Margaret stands next to Regina. "When you made David promise to keep this from Emma, is this really what you wanted? Do you think it's better for her to be states away thinking you just don't care enough about her to call?"

A nurse enters the room with a bowl of water and a rag. "Good morning."

Mary Margaret smiles. "What's that?"

She holds up the rag. "Just a simple wipe down of her face, neck, arms, and legs. We will have to do a sponge bath tonight if nothing changes."

Mary Margaret steps forward. "I can do it."

The nurse smiles. "If you'd like, that's fine. I'll leave it here." She sets down the bowl and leaves the room.

Ringing out the rag, Mary Margaret looks down on Regina. "I never could have imagined something like this happening, and I'm sure you want nearly anyone other than me at your side, but here I am. We're stuck with each other."

She carefully runs the rag along Regina's bare skin. When she's finished, she hears Regina's phone ding again. She moves to see another message from Emma: Never forget that I love you. No matter what. I just hope that you can still say the same thing.

Mary Margaret shakes her head and looks at Regina. "I can't keep doing this Regina. No one deserves to be treated this way."

She picks up Regina's phone and stares at it. Releasing a deep breath, she holds her finger over Emma's contact. "I'm sorry, Regina. This can't go on."

She presses call and lifts the phone to her ear.

Emma answers immediately. "Regina? Holy shit, where the hell have you been? I've practically been calling you since we landed on Sunday. Couldn't spare a few damn minutes for me until now?"

"Emma," Mary Margaret starts softly.

"Who is this? Mom?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Can you please put Regina on the phone? I really need to talk to her."

"She can't come to the phone, sweetheart."

"What the hell are you talking about? Why are you calling me on here? If she's not going to talk to me, why the fuck would you use her phone? Do you know how damn depressing hearing your voice was? No offense, but you're not the woman I was hoping to hear from. So put Regina on the phone."

Mary Margaret squeezes Regina's hand. "Emma, Regina has not been ignoring you."

"Like hell she hasn't."

"We never made it home from the airport."

The line stays silent for a moment. "What do you mean?" Emma asks slowly.

"Regina passed out. She lost vision in one eye."

"She's blind!"

"Temporarily," Mary Margaret rushes to spit out. "I think."

"So where are you now? What's happening?"

"We are still at the hospital. Your father went back to Storybrooke last night, but I've been here the whole time."

The line goes silent again. Anger starts taking over concern in Emma's voice. "Dad called me from the hospital yesterday?"

"Yes," Mary Margaret confesses.

"He called me simply so that he could lie to me and try to give me some false sense of hope?"

"Regina made him promise not to tell you." She sighs, knowing it's a terrible excuse.

"Are you fucking kidding me, right now? What the hell is wrong with you? With any of you?"

"Regina wanted you to be able to get through your meetings with HR without worrying about her."

"So instead of worrying about her health, which I still was worried about, I got to think she was breaking up with me or didn't actually love me. Gee thanks, assholes. That was so much better than the truth. Put her on the phone."

"Emma, I can't."

"Put Regina on the damn phone. She owes me an explanation."

"She can't give you one."

"Why the fuck not?" Emma yells.

Mary Margaret closes her eyes. "Emma, Regina's in a coma."

She hears a crash from Emma dropping the phone.


	46. Chapter 46

In the office building hallway, Emma holds her stomach and stares blankly, her mouth hanging open. Mary Margaret's voice rings through the phone.

Gen carefully picks up the phone and ends the call. "Ms. Swan?"

Emma doesn't move or make a sound.

Gen lays a hand on Emma's shoulder, causing Emma to jump as if she had forgotten anyone was around. "Ms. Swan. What are you in need of right now?"

Emma stares at Gen, tears starting to streak down her face. "I- I put her into a coma. With my own hands. I put the woman I love in a fucking coma." Emma stares at her hands. "What kind of person does that make me?"

"To clarify, Regina is in a coma?"

Emma nods.

Gen takes a deep breath. "Let's get your son and go there now."

Emma furrows her brow as she looks over Gen. "Let's? As in us?" When Gen nods, Emma throws up her hands. "You know what, I'm tired of your games. What is going on between you two?"

"I assure you nothing is going on between Regina and I."

"Then why do you want to come so bad?"

Gen puts her hand on Emma's shoulder and waits for Emma to look her in the eye. "I need to make something very clear, Ms. Swan. Regina spoke to me about what happened. You threw your girlfriend into a wall, and she is now in a coma."

"Yes, I am unfortunately extremely aware."

"Ms. Swan, I don't think you understand. You will be needing representation."

Emma's face falls as the realization that she would be facing potential legal action sets in. She drops her head in her hands and stumbles back into the wall, sobbing. "How could I do this to her? She was only trying to help me, and I- I attacked her. She'll never forgive me for this."

"I think the concern is you forgiving yourself," Gen replies gently.

Dropping her hands, Emma pushes off the wall. "Forgive myself? Are you joking? Do you understand what I've done? I've put her life in jeopardy all because I couldn't get over some stupid advances from some skank."

Gen puts up a hand to silence Emma. "I do not suggest downplaying your incident at this time. That will only makes things much worse on your psyche and on the case I will be building in your defense."

"In my defense. I'm a fucking criminal." Emma shakes her head. She notices her phone in Gen's hand and snatches it. "I have to call Henry."

Gen places her hand over the phone. "Can I suggest you go to his class to tell him in person then we take a flight to Maine?"

Emma groans. "Plane tickets. That could take forever."

"We'll take my jet," Gen says, leading Emma from the office.

"You have a jet? Maybe I couldn't afford your fees."

"We will worry about that later. Let's go to your son." She holds the door open for Emma to step out onto the street.

Emma peeks through the small glass window on the door at the class mid-lecture. "He still has like thirty minutes in there," she says over her shoulder to Gen.

Gen stands with her briefcase in front of her in both hands. "The professor will understand the interruption, Ms. Swan. Simply open the door and speak with the professor to excuse Henry from class."

Emma steps back from the door. "We can just wait for class to end."

"Would you not prefer to get to Regina as soon as possible?"

Emma spins around and glares at her. "Of course I would."

Gen cocks her head. "Then what are you so afraid of?"

"I don't want to tell Henry. And going there, seeing her in the bed, will make everything so real. I don't think I've really grasped what's happening."

"That is not abnormal, Ms. Swan."

Emma clenches her eyes shut. "Please call me, Emma. Regina called me Miss Swan for years and any time she wanted to jab at me, so I really can't have you saying something so similar with the way you talk."

"Very well, Emma. Go speak to the professor."

Emma nods and turns around. She holds her hand on the handle, but it suddenly opens, the professor standing before her.

"Is there something I can do for you ladies?" He asks, frustration evident in his tone.

"I need to speak with Henry Swan-Mills, please." Emma says, trying to sound like she isn't torn to pieces inside.

He shakes his head. "This is a class. I do not need interruptions in my class. Please wait until after." He starts closing the door.

Emma throws out a hand. "I need to see my son. There was an accident, sir."

He studies her for a moment then nods. Walking back to the center of the stage, he waves to Henry who quickly gets up and meanders through the other students to rush down the steps. Once in the hall, the professor closes the door heavily behind him.

Henry looks between them. "What's going on?"

Emma grabs his arm. "Henry, we have to go back to Maine today."

"Why?"

"Something happened."

Henry's eyes widen. "What happened? To Mom? Is it Mom? Is that why she wasn't answering? What happened?" Henry shakes Emma. "Tell me!"

Tears start streaming down her face, and she throws her arms around Henry. "Your Mom's in a coma, Henry."

"What?" he barely squeaks out before slowly closing her arms around Emma as well. His own tears start forming.

"I'm so sorry, Henry. I promise I didn't mean to do this."

He pushes back from Emma. "Ma, I'm having a really hard time not blaming you, and if you start blaming yourself, then I'm going to as well." His tears fall down his cheeks. "But I can't do that. I can't blame you because I need you."

Emma pulls him back tightly. "I need you too."


	47. Chapter 47

The plane ride felt like a million years, but all three made it to the hospital in one piece. Sprinting through the halls, Emma barely avoids slamming into nurses, staff, and patients, her mind zeroed in on one thing: Regina.

She skids to a halt once she finally finds Regina's room. Right before her is Mary Margaret, a chair pulled next to Regina, reading a book out loud.

Struggling to catch his breath, Henry pulls up next to her, equally as surprised at the sight.

Gen, who felt no need to sprint through the hospital, steps up behind them a few moments later. "Things do not change upon entering the room, Emma. Go to her."

"Will she know I'm here?" Emma asks hopefully.

"Many studies suggest coma patients are aware that people are with them. I would think the odds favor the decision to be optimistic in this case."

"Optimistic," Emma derides. "Yeah, I'll work on that."

Henry takes Emma's hand. "Come on, Ma. Let's go let Mom know we're here." She lets him drag her to Regina's bed.

Mary Margaret jumps, but stays silent when she sees their eyes zoomed in on Regina. Instead, she simply moves the chair away and goes to meet Gen. Holding out her hand, she introduces herself, "I'm Mary Margaret. Regina is my daughter-in-law."

Gen shakes her hand. "No, she's not."

"Yes, she is. That's why I've been here."

"You are Emma's mother, I presume?" When she nods, Gen continues, "Ms. Swan and Ms. Mills are not married; however, you are maintaining this façade for this hospital?"

Mary Margaret nods. "They weren't going to tell us what happened to her otherwise. The doctor only wanted to talk to Henry, but we argued that he's our grandson. Assumptions were made, so we went with it. Please don't tell the hospital."

"I think you made a wise decision. There is no need for the hospital to know. Who is the doctor? I have a few questions to ask concerning her condition."

"It's Doctor- wait, who are you?" Mary Margaret suddenly asks, realizing they never got past her small fib.

Gen extends her hand again. "Genevieve Roland. I am Ms. Swan's attorney in the case against her employer. I am also an acquaintance of Regina."

"Oh, so you're here as a friend? That's nice."

"I wish that were the case. Your daughter is in need of legal assistance due to Regina's condition."

Mary Margaret puts a hand to her forehead. "That's right. The doctor said the hospital social worker would be talking to Regina."

"The doctor's name?"

"Russler."

Gen excuses herself and leaves the room.

Mary Margaret turns to see Emma and Henry on opposite sides of the bed staring silently at Regina, both too afraid to step forward as if they might disturb her. Wanting to support her daughter, Mary Margaret carefully steps next to Emma and puts her hand on her arm.

Emma slowly tears away her eyes to look at Mary Margaret.

Slightly taken aback at how pale Emma has suddenly become, Mary Margaret steps closer. "She'll be glad to know you're here, Emma."

Emma starts sobbing and throws her arms around Mary Margaret. Becoming too weak to stand, her knees buckle so Mary Margaret lowers them to the ground, letting Emma cry into her neck and clutch onto her shirt.

At the sight of his mother crying, Henry breaks down too. He rushes around the bed and drops down to the ground, glad when Mary Margaret opens up her other arm to him.

Fighting her own tears, Mary Margaret holds both crying Swans until they can't form tears any longer.

Nearly an hour later, Gen returns with Dr. Russler at her side.

Mary Margaret rubs Henry and Emma's backs to coax them into standing from the floor. "We have a visitor," she says softly to them.

They both take deep breaths and pull themselves together. Henry reaches out a hand to help Mary Margaret stand.

The doctor waits for all of them to turn their attention to her. "I'm Dr. Russler." She extends her hand to Henry. "Henry Mills?"

"Swan-Mills," Henry corrects.

She nods and turns to Emma. "You are Mrs. Mills' wife?"

Emma notices Gen's indiscreet nod. "Yes, Emma Swan." She shakes the doctor's hand.

"As long as it is alright with your son and mother, I would like to take you to my office. Along with Ms. Roland."

Emma's eyes dart between everyone in the room. "I- I just got here. I want to spend time with Regina- with my wife."

The doctor nods. "I understand. This will only take a few moments so that there are no surprises in the morning. Please, right this way." The doctor turns and gestures for the door.

Emma looks at Gen. "What is this?"

Gen takes Emma's arm. "A necessary step. We will be back soon. Dr. Russler is ready to go home for the day."

A short walk takes them to a large corner office where Emma and Gen take a seat in chairs across the desk from Dr. Russler. She folds her hand on the desk and looks directly at Emma. "Emma, I have already spoken with Ms. Roland, and there are a few things you need to be prepared for."

Emma shifts uncomfortably. "Is she going to be okay?"

"This matter concerns you, ma'am. I am happy to discuss your wife's condition tomorrow, or you can speak with the nursing staff and your mother. We won't know of any changes until results are in tomorrow."

Gen looks at her and nods. Emma takes a deep breath. "Okay then. What is it?"

"Tomorrow morning," Dr. Russler begins. "The hospital social worker will be coming to get you for an interview. You may, of course, have Ms. Roland attend the meeting. Your wife's condition is considered the result of assault based on the account from your parents."

Emma grits her teeth and sighs, disdain returning towards her parents' involvement since Sunday evening.

"The social worker will ask you for your detailed account of the situation."

"Then what?" Emma asks nervously.

"There are no charges at this point, so the social worker will need to wait for Regina to regain consciousness to continue the case."

Emma scoots to the edge of the chair. "So Regina's going to wake up. When?"

The doctor holds up her hand. "She should wake up. Eventually. The bleeding has to stop first."

"The bleeding? But she wasn't cut."

The doctor stands. "Emma, I apologize, but this will have to continue tomorrow. I am well past my shift hours. Prepare yourself for tomorrow, and choose your words carefully." She moves to the door and holds it open for them.


	48. Chapter 48

That evening, Gen rented a car and took Henry and Mary Margaret to a nearby hotel, leaving Emma alone in the hospital room with Regina.

In the middle of the night, Emma stirs awake in the chair she pulled up to Regina's bedside. Her fingers are laced with Regina's. Emma simply stares at the perfectly still body of her lover, letting tears fall.

"I hope you know I'm here." She turns in the chair and runs her hand up and down Regina's arm. "I love you, and I wish I knew that you could hear me say that. And if you can hear me, just know that I'm not going anywhere. I'll never leave your side. As long as it takes."

She drops her head on the bed and presses Regina's hand to her cheek, staring at the wall. "That meeting was awful, just so you know. I tried calling you after, but obviously that didn't work out. Gen and I had lunch which made me a feel a little better, and I'd really like to know who in the hell this gorgeous, rich, and oddly powerful woman is. Not that I'm jealous or anything. There's just… Alright I'm a little jealous. Like is she more your type than me? I mean, she's certainly got more to offer you than I do."

Emma turns her head to look at Regina, but keeps Regina's hand to her cheek. "I'm being stupid, aren't I? I may have had my doubts for a brief moment like an idiot, but I'm 99% sure you love me so yeah. I should probably say 100%, shouldn't I? Is it bad that I'm feeling self-conscious right now? You're in a damn coma, and I'm having an ego crisis because of some lawyer who has actually done nothing but try to help me and you."

Sitting up, Emma takes Regina's hand in her own and places light kisses over her fingers and knuckles. "You're beautiful, even like this. How is that possible? How are you always so incredible? It's nearly impossible for me to think of a time I haven't been in love with you, and there's not a moment that I wasn't at least enraptured. And you can deny all you want, I remember how you looked at me at the beginning." She chuckles to herself, reflecting on their first years together.

"I miss your eyes. Your gloriously seductive voice, especially when it drops for me. Your warm hands." Emma cups Regina's hand and blows a hot breath on it before setting her cheek in Regina's palm.

Tears fall as Emma clenches her eyes shut. "Please wake up for me," she begs weakly.

"I want to be close to you." Emma crawls into the bed and carefully lays next to Regina, draping Regina's arm over her and locking their fingers. With her head on Regina's shoulder, she kisses Regina's face.

"If you wake up while I'm asleep, I promise not to be crabby when you wake me up." Emma tucks her head into Regina's neck and closes her eyes to sleep.

The next morning, Henry enters the room. As soon as he sees Emma asleep with Regina, he holds out his hand to stop Mary Margaret and Gen. He closes the door behind him and tip toes to the bed.

"Ma," he whispers. He moves to her side of the bed and gently shakes her. "Ma, wake up."

Emma opens her eyes and looks around, confused. She glances down at Regina and her face falls. "Guess she's still asleep." She carefully sits up and climbs out of the bed.

"Morning," Henry says quietly.

"Morning," Emma repeats. She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "I could really use some coffee."

"Gram's got some in the hallway." He moves to the door and opens it for Mary Margaret and Gen.

Emma smiles and quickly takes the coffee cup, smelling it before steadily sipping. "Thank you." She turns her attention to Gen. "And thank you."

"For?" Gen asks, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"Everything. You've done a lot more than the typical lawyer, I imagine."

"Attorneys do what is necessary to ensure the success of their clients."

Emma rolls her eyes. "God, you're even kind of humble in a weird formal way."

Mary Margaret looks between Gen and Emma. "Do you know when your meeting is?"

Emma's shoulders slump, having temporarily forgotten about the interview with the social worker.

"Her shift begins at 9," Gen informs them. "From what I understand, she is… enthusiastic to have this sit down."

With a raised eyebrow, Emma directs her attention to Gen. "Enthusiastic? Couldn't come up with a better word than that?"

"Emma, you are the biggest outstanding case at the hospital. Do not expect this woman to be easy on you."

Emma sighs and slams her coffee down on the table. "Good fucking morning."


	49. Chapter 49

Henry sits on the end of Regina's hospital bed, Regina's feet in his lap, reading a comic book to her while Mary Margaret reads in a chair.

Just outside the room, Gen and Emma discuss the upcoming meeting.

Gen checks her watch. "She's due in just a few minutes, and I don't expect her to be late."

Emma groans. "You make it sound like she's got it out for me."

"Emma, you have a target on your back. There's a reason the doctor has yet to speak with you about Regina."

"And why is that?" Emma asks, throwing up her hands.

Gen lowers Emma's hands. "These two women, and possibly more, are under the impression that you intentionally threw a woman hard enough into a wall that you put her in a coma. Would you be pleased to meet yourself if you did not know better?"

"But I didn't do it intentionally!"

Gen puts out a hand to silence Emma. "They are yet to be aware of that. This is why we are having the meeting."

The social worker rounds the corner.

Gen gestures toward her. "Do as we discussed, and things will be fine."

Emma nods and swallows, turning to watch the fast-moving social worker approach. When she stops in front of them, Emma holds out her hand. "I'm Emma Swan."

The woman looks at Emma's hand then up to Gen. "Right this way," she says, turning on her heel.

Emma clenches her teeth and flexes her fingers, trying to not let the frustration build up too much.

Gen gently touches her arm to guide her after the shorter woman.

Once they've settled into a small office obviously shared by all of the hospital social workers, the social worker opens a folder with a picture of Regina in the hospital bed. She puts her hands on the desk and looks at Emma.

"Your name?"

"Emma Swan."

She fills in blanks on paperwork in the file. "Relation to the victim?"

Emma cringes and glances at Gen who nods. "Wife."

She pulls out another paper to read from. "On Sunday, your wife Regina Mills was admitted to this hospital. A report was filed indicating that she suffered vision impairment and a loss of consciousness immediately before being admitted to the hospital emergency room. Further information was presented that the hospitalization was the second as a result of a traumatic brain injury that occurred the previous day on Saturday. Due to the absence of one involved party and the impairment of the other involved party, cause of injury is speculation at the time of admittance to in-patient care." She lays down the paper and looks at Emma. "Since you were so kind as to join us here, why don't you tell me what happened on Saturday?"

"The only reason I wasn't here is because no one told me," Emma defends, scooting to the edge of her seat.

Gen puts out a hand and forces Emma to lean back in her chair. "Her job is not to understand why you were or were not here, rather what led your wife to be here."

Emma sighs and nods.

"Care to begin?" the social worker presses.

Emma rolls her eyes and sits up straight. "Okay. Last week, while I was in Atlanta, I had a run in with my boss. She came onto me pretty-"

"I'm sorry," the social interrupts, holding up her hand. "But I'm not looking for a novel here. I need to know what happened on Saturday."

Gen puts out a hand to interrupt Emma. "Ma'am, this is pertinent information to the case."

"I believe that's for me to decide."

"Then perhaps you should listen so that you can decide justly, or is your sole purpose here to crucify my client?"

The social worker glares at Gen, but Gen just stares coolly back at her. She huffs and waves for Emma to continue.

Emma clears her throat and starts again. "Well my boss came onto me pretty hard-"

Gen taps Emma's hand.

"My boss assaulted me in her office. When I was trying to leave, I found the door was locked, and she came up behind me, pressing her entire body on me and wrapped her arms around me. I had to shove her off me before someone finally opened the door and let me out." Emma stops and takes a few breaths.

The social worker stares at her, unimpressed. "Are you planning on relating this to the incident with Mrs. Mills?"

Emma sucks her teeth and opens her mouth, but stops when Gen taps her hand again. She shuts her mouth and slumps back a bit before taking a breath and continuing. "After the incident, I returned home to Maine. I had to do an incident report via email while at home. On Saturday, the HR team was absolutely harassing me via Regina about it, and I wanted to know what was going on, so I read the emails. Among them was the report I had sent, and for some reason, I reread that. I got kind of stuck in that world again, and Regina closed in on me from behind, and I panicked thinking I was trapped in the office and she was my supervisor."

"What happened then?" the social worker asks, her pen steadily writing.

Emma runs a hand down her face. "I got scared, and I turned to get her off of me, but we were really close to the wall, and she stumbled back into it. There was a picture frame that she hit her head on." She takes a deep breath and sits back.

"And then?" the social worker presses, irritated.

Emma looks over at Gen.

"She needs to know what happened between the accident and arriving at the hospital," Gen informs her.

"Oh, um, well her head hurt, but she said she only needed ice and some medicine. She seemed fine when Henry and I left for the store, but when we came back, she started stumbling and having a hard time focusing on stuff. She fell asleep on the couch, and we took her to the hospital. The doctor said she has a tbi and a, um, close head injury. But he said she would be okay minus a few symptoms. She was much better the next morning. She and my parents took us to the airport Sunday afternoon, and she started having a hard time again. She told us she was fine though, just tired, so Henry and I got on the plane for Atlanta. I found out Tuesday morning that my parents withheld her condition from me and that apparently she had come to the hospital straight from the airport."

The social worker doesn't look up when Emma finishes, instead continues writing then starts filling in blanks on other papers in the pile.

"So, uh…" Emma watches her write. She glances at Gen.

"Ma,am," Gen starts. "Is there any further information you require?"

The social worker ignores both of them for a few moments then lays down her pen and looks up at Emma. "You had a mental break-"

"This is not a psych eval," Gen interrupts.

The social workers glares at her. "You had a moment and threw your wife into a wall?"

Emma shifts uncomfortably. "I mean, there was a lot more to it than that, and I didn't exactly throw her. I don't even remember putting my hands on her."

"You don't remember?" The social worker leans forward on her elbows.

"I mean, I didn't. I didn't put my hands on her." Emma rubs her hands on her pants. "It was an accident."

"An accident?" the social worker scoffs.

"Do you need a definition of that term?" Gen asks, folding her hands over her crossed legs.

Slamming her folder shut, the social worker plasters on a fake smile. "I'm interested to hear Mrs. Mills' version of this story."

"Her version?" Emma spits. "What the hell are you getting on about? What do you want me to say? That I purposefully-"

Gen slams her hand over Emma's mouth. "That's enough, Ms. Swan." She looks at the social worker. "This meeting is over. Thank you."

The social worker shakes her head and stands to open the door for them. "I'm sure we will be speaking again soon, Mrs. Swan."

Emma glares at her as Gen shoves her out the door. In the hallway, Emma lets out a loud groan of frustration.

"Oh, and Mrs. Swan," the social worker says behind them. Once they turn to her, she continues. "Any acts of aggression in the hospital, we will have you removed."

"You cannot legally do that," Gen states firmly.

The social worker smiles. "No, I can't, but the doctor can exclude visitors based on best possible patient care. I don't think an aggressive visitor is really what Mrs. Mills needs."

Emma steps forward but stops when Gen's arm shoots out in front of her.

"Will that be all?" Gen asks. The social worker nods, so Gen takes Emma's arm and quickly drags her down the hall. Once they get to Regina's room, Gen stops her. "Is there anything else you would like to do to make this harder on me?"

"Harder on you?" Emma steps close to her. "That woman looked at me like a monster. She honestly thinks I did this on purpose, and nothing I said changed her mind one bit."

"Emma, the facts tell the story, not her opinion. You're right, she doesn't believe you; however, she only has half of the case finished, and I have supporting evidence of the incident. In fact, I have a documented report directly from Ms. Mills of Saturday's accident."

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"Did that look like a court room? You are not being charged with anything right now." Gen closes the gap between them. "And if you would like to keep it that way, I need you to calm down, refrain from stating anything beyond the facts, and heed that awful woman's warning to not draw any further attention. Do you understand?"

Emma grits her teeth and holds Gen's stare, but finally breaks away and steps back. "Yes." She turns and goes into the room, immediately pulling a chair to Regina's bedside and laying her head on Regina's arm.


	50. Chapter 50

Emma and Henry sit on opposite ends of the edge of the bed playing a card game.

Suddenly realizing they are alone, Henry looks up. "How'd it go?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asks, scanning over her cards to debate her next move.

"The meeting. How did it go?"

Emma stops and glances around the room, noticing how empty it is for the first time. "Where'd everyone go?"

Henry shrugs. "Point is, they're not here. Tell me what happened."

She looks at him then shakes his head. "It's not important."

"Come on, Ma. I know that's not true. Something happened, and you won't tell me. Why not?"

"It's between your mom and me."

"I know what social workers are. I'm not stupid. This involves me too."

Emma shakes her head again. "You're 19. Believe me, you made it out alive."

Henry puts down his cards. "Just because I can't be taken away or whatever doesn't mean that having my family torn apart won't ruin my life just as much as yours, okay?"

Dropping her cards, Emma puts her head in her hand. "We are not being torn apart, kid. That woman is trying to make things difficult, but Gen says she can't do anything without your mom's statement."

"I don't understand why we know Gen. Who is she?"

Emma hears footsteps and sees Gen enter the doorway with an armload of food. "A godsend, apparently." She gets up and takes the food from Gen. "You're amazing. Thank you."

Henry gets up and grabs a box containing a cheeseburger. "So much better than the cafeteria food," he says, smelling the burger.

Once everything is set down, and Emma and Henry have their food, Gen turns to Emma. "You will have a visitor soon, Emma. Please keep your emotions in check."

"Um, okay," Emma responds cautiously. "Something you want to tell me?"

"I just did." Gen grabs a box with a grain salad and takes a seat to eat lunch.

Emma rolls her eyes and sits her food down across from Henry. She moves toward the top of the bed and kisses Regina's forehead then cheeks. "I love you," she whispers in Regina's ear, before a placing a kiss just under her earlobe. When she takes her seat, Henry smiles at her. "What?" she asks.

"I hope she knows we're here."

"Me too, kid."

They eat mostly in silence, playing their hands between bites. A high-pitched wail from the doorway catches Emma's attention, and she looks up just in time to stop Neal from leaping onto the bed. She holds him out in front of her. "What are you-" She turns and narrows her eyes at David. "Why are you-" She grunts in frustration and looks back at Neal, hanging limply in her arms. "You have to be careful. We don't know what she's feeling right now, so you can't bounce around or anything."

Tears streak down his face as he nods his head. Emma rolls her eyes and sets him on the bed. He immediately curls up in her side and stares up at her face.

"Emma," David calls to her softly.

Emma clenches her fists and slowly turns to face him. "David."

He visibly winces at the use of his first name. "I'm glad you're here."

"I doubt that."

He shakes his head. "No, Emma, I wanted you to be here, but I wanted to respect Regina's wishes."

Emma laughs derisively. "Since when do you care about respecting her wishes?"

Noticing Emma take a step toward her dad, Gen sets down her food and watches.

David holds up his hands. "It was foolish, I know. Your mother helped me understand that."

"It took mom for you to realize that lying to your daughter was a bad idea?"

"Emma, I know you're upset. Let me make it up to you."

Emma closes the space between them. "Make it up to me? I was what, a hundred yards away when she passed out, and you couldn't call me? Instead, you let me leave and spend well over a day wondering why on earth the woman who I just finally started a real relationship with suddenly wanted nothing to do with me? You thought that upholding her little promise was more important than my emotional well-being? More important than giving me the opportunity to take care of my girlfriend after a mistake that I made? If mom hadn't finally cracked and called me, how long would you have let this go on?"

David stares at her, not answering.

"Well?" She presses, leaning closer to him, her voice rising.

Gen stands up and glides behind David to pull a gawking Mary Margaret into the room. She sees the social worker smirking in the hallway. She glares at her and closes the door.

David takes a step back, but Emma matches him, staying in his face. "I- I don't know, Emma. When she made me promise in the airport, I didn't know what was going to happen. I was trying to do the right thing for you with work."

"That bitch at my work could have waited a few days, David. Regina can't. Regina is my priority whether either of you," she points at David then Mary Margaret, "likes it or not."

"We know how much she means to you, Emma," Mary Margaret offers quietly, moving closer to David.

"And you still want to ruin what we have," Emma accuses.

Mary Margaret shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry. I've said some terrible things, and I'm the one that tipped her over the edge at the airport. I don't want to stand between you two, Emma. Your father isn't trying to do that either."

Emma stares at her then looks back at David. "You know what? I can almost forgive her because she stayed here at Regina's side and cared for her while you stood in the corner and called me, pretending like you were simply too busy to check on her, then you bailed before I could get here and you'd have to face me. I'm surprised you're even here now."

David takes a shaky breath. "Emma, I wanted to see you and support you. I want you to be here for Regina, I mean that. And I am here for her too."

"No! You're not here for her. That woman," she points at Gen, "who I hardly even know has done more for Regina than you have with your lies. Oh and thanks for telling the doctor I threw my wife into a wall." She leans in as close as she can. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be taken away from your lover's bedside and treated like a criminal?"

Gen notices Emma's fists clenching and her knuckles turning white. She steps forward and pushes them apart. "Mr. Nolan, thank you for visiting. Today does not seem like the best day for an extended visit."

"You can't tell me to leave," David barks at her.

She raises her eyebrows and turns to him fully. "Mr. Nolan, unless you wish for your daughter to be permanently removed from the hospital, I suggest you find your way out."

He opens his mouth to speak but stops when Mary Margaret squeezes his shoulder. "David, take Neal and go home. There's nothing you can do here." She leans up and kisses his cheek then moves to the bed to lift Neal off of Regina. She takes him out into the hallway.

Emma gently pushes Gen's hand away from her and moves back to Regina's bed, plopping down across from Henry again who has simply been staring at all of them.

David tries to step around Gen towards Emma, but Gen grabs his arm and stops him. He tries to rip his arm away, but her grip is firm.

"I must insist, Mr. Nolan."

David removes her hand and straightens his sleeve before clearing his throat and stomping toward the exit. "I love you, Emma. And I love Regina too." He closes the door behind him.

Emma picks up her cards and shuffles through them, trying to fight the tears brimming in her eyes.

"I love you, Ma," Henry whispers across the bed to her.

"I love you too, kid." She gladly accepts his hug when he moves around to her side.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: This is a short chapter, but it needed to happen**

In the middle of the night, Emma curls against Regina in the hospital bed, Henry and Mary Margaret away at the hotel again. She kisses Regina's cheek. "Things didn't go so well today. I don't know if you heard, but I just about told my dad I hate his guts right now."

She sits up a bit. "I just don't get it. How was withholding information from me a good idea? I'd really like to know."

After a sigh, she cuddles her head in Regina's neck. "But don't worry, when you wake up, I promise to give you at least a day before I question you about my dad and Gen. Unless you willingly give up the information, of course. I'd like that. But I won't pressure you."

"I imagine…" She runs her fingers along Regina's stomach, drawing shapes. "I imagine I'm going to be too overwhelmed to worry about anything other than kissing you and probably crying way too much for either of us. You're gonna be ready to kick me out of here."

She quickly wipes away her tears and kisses Regina's cheek again. "I love you. Wake up for me. Please." She ducks her head back in Regina's neck. She lays her hands over Regina's and shuts her eyes to go to sleep.

A few hours later, just as light is pouring in through the windows, Emma wakes up to a tickling sensation on her head. Her eyes shoot open, but she deflates when she realizes her hair was just being lightly blown by Regina's exhales.

She kisses Regina's cheek and sits up to get off the bed, but her hand doesn't come willingly. She looks down to see her fingers interlocked with Regina's. Her mouth drops open as she stares at their hands. "Regina?" she whispers, too afraid to look at Regina's face.

The room is silent, and Emma doesn't move a muscle. Swallowing nervously, she slowly looks up at Regina's face. "Regina, are you awake?"

She stares at her for a long time, hopefully. Her heart settles heavily when Regina doesn't respond. With a loud exhale, she leans down and kisses Regina's cheek. "I love you."

She pulls away, but the grip on her hand tightens. She stops again and stares at Regina. "Babe? I- I really hope I'm not imagining this." She gets close to Regina's face again and whispers, "Can you hear me?"

Regina's eyes flutter open.

Emma pales instantly. Unsure if she's seeing things right, she whispers in her ear again. "Are- are you awake?"

Regina blinks and squeezes Emma's hand again.

Emma collapses on top of her, wrapping her arms tight around Regina, and starts sobbing.

After a while, Emma feels Regina's grip loosen. She pulls back and sees that Regina is unconscious again. She grabs her face. "Regina?" No response. "Regina, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again."

Nothing changes. "No, no, no. Come back to me. Please!" Emma drops her forehead against Regina's and cries again, begging for Regina to regain consciousness.

Hearing Emma's sobs, a nurse rushes into the room. "What's wrong?"

Emma slides off the bed. "She- she opened her eyes, and she grabbed my hand."

The nurse smiles. "That's good news, I'll alert the doctor as soon as she arrives."

"Wait," Emma shouts before the nurse can leave. "She fell back under or asleep or whatever again."

The nurse nods. "Yes, it will be a process for her to come out of the coma. They don't really just wake up then chase bad guys the next day like on TV."

"Oh," Emma whispers, slightly embarrassed.

The nurse approaches her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "This is a very good sign. Your wife will be okay."

Emma smiles at her weakly. "Why are you being nice to me? I thought all of you hated me."

The nurse shakes her head. "Some of us recognize mistakes happen. And if you really hurt her, you wouldn't be so happy for her to wake up." She pats Emma's arm and leaves the room.

Emma crawls back in next to Regina and kisses her cheek. "As long as it takes, babe."


	52. Chapter 52

Emma sits in the chair next to Regina, clenching Regina's hand, and stares at her face. She jumps when Henry sprints into the room.

"Mom!" he yells, and slides up next to Regina. His face drops. "Mom?" He gently nudges his shoulder then looks to Emma. "You said she's awake."

"No, I said she woke up," Emma says, keeping her eyes on Regina.

"That implies she's awake! What the hell, Ma?" Henry glares at the side of her head.

Emma turns and realizes her mistake when she sees his expression. "Oh, shit, Henry, I'm sorry. I was so excited, and I knew what I meant by that text."

"Yeah, well, that leaves one of us. Thanks a lot," he huffs, dropping into the chair next to Regina.

Emma smiles at him. "But she did wake up. It was only a few minutes, and all she did was squeeze my hand and open those incredibly gorgeous eyes I've been missing."

Henry raises an eyebrow at her.

"Hey, you'd feel the same way if this was Grace years from now." She smiles at him then lays her head on Regina's leg to keep studying Regina's face for any change.

"I'd be so lucky to have her around," Henry mumbles before taking Regina's other hand.

"You okay, kid?" Emma manages to tear her eyes from Regina to give Henry her attention.

He shrugs. "I like her a lot, and I don't wanna mess it up. She's still pretty mad at me for Amelia."

"Just make sure you are honest with her from now on. She'll forgive you. We all make mistakes. If your mom can forgive me, Grace can forgive you."

They smile at each other.

"Hen…ry."

The both turn at the deep raspy voice coming from the hospital bed. Regina's eyes are still closed but her mouth is slightly open.

"Mom?" Henry asks weakly. He smiles when she squeezes his hand. He looks at Emma. "She's-"

Emma holds up Regina's hand gripping her own. "Me too, kid." She runs her free hand down Regina's cheek. "Hey, babe. We're here."

Regina slowly opens her eyes and looks back and forth at them, squeezing their hands tighter. "Wh-where?"

Henry looks at Emma, unsure what to say. Emma kisses her forehead then explains, "We are at the hospital. Do you remember passing out at the airport?"

Regina blinks a few times. Her mouth barely opens then shuts as she looks around the room.

"Can you see out of this eye yet?" Emma holds her hand over Regina's right eye.

Regina stares up at her hand. "S-some."

"She must be strong-willed and ready to start talking."

Emma and Henry spin around to see Dr. Russler in the doorway, Mary Margaret and Gen to the side of the room.

Dr. Russler moves to the side Emma is standing on and presses so close that Emma has no choice but to drop Regina's hand and step back. "Hello, Mrs. Mills."

"Who?" Regina asks.

"I'm Dr. Russler. You'll be happy to know the bleeding on your brain has seized and the contusion is healing. I hear your vision is returning. That is great news. At this rate, you'll be up and talking in no time." She turns her head and smirks at Emma.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want her to be healed, Doctor, so keep your judgement to yourself."

Regina squeezes Henry's hand. He bends down in her ear. "They think Ma did this to you on purpose."

Regina's eyes widen. "N-no. No. She-she-"

Emma pushes past the doctor and grabs Regina's face. "Everything's fine. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." A tear rolls down Regina's face. Emma wipes it away with her thumb then kisses Regina's forehead. "I love you."

Regina moves her mouth a few times, trying to form words.

Emma smiles and kisses her lips. "I know."

Dr. Russler clears her throat and gestures for Emma to step back. Once Emma complies, she waits for Regina to look at her. "We have some tests to run. We need to make sure your body is waking up properly and that you still have mobility. This will help us determine any lasting effects from your…" she looks back and glares at Emma, "accident."

"Feel free to say what's really bothering you, doctor," Gen pipes up from the corner.

Emma smiles at her then almost laughs at the irritation on Dr. Russler's face.

"There'll be plenty of that soon enough." She turns back to Regina. "As soon as you're ready, we're all so interested in what you have to say. Get rest, Mrs. Mills. The nurses will be in soon."

Regina watches the doctor leave then looks back up at Emma. Emma smiles down at her. "She's nice, right?" She notices Regina's hand moving on the bed and interlocks their fingers. "They may have it out for me, but Gen's got me covered."

Gen steps forward to the foot of the bed. "Hello, Regina." Regina's eyes widen and her grip loosens in Emma's hand. Gen smiles. "It's good to see you again."

Emma looks back and forth between them. "You know you're telling me about this when you can talk again, right?" she says to Regina.

After a moment, Regina looks back up at Emma, tightening her grip again. "Em-ma."

Emma smiles. "I love the way you say my name."


	53. Chapter 53

Emma watches from the corner and is pleased to see Regina pass the swallow test as the thickening agent they brought in looks horrendous. For the most part, Regina has remained lucid and has been forming words more easily.

Dr. Russler enters the room with a Wartenburg Wheel in her hand.

Emma eyeballs the device's tiny needle points on the wheel and walks over to the doctor. "What exactly is that?"

Ignoring Emma, Dr. Russler waits for Regina's attention. "This is a tool to test your sensory responses. I will roll it over your limbs to test your body's responses."

"Does…it hur- hurt?" Regina struggles to ask.

The doctor nods. "Yes, but consider the pain a positive step towards recovery. Are you ready?"

"Wait," Emma throws an arm out as a barrier between the doctor and Regina. "Is this necessary?"

With an aggravated sigh, the doctor looks at Emma. "Do you understand that your wife is extremely fortunate right now? What you did to her left her with a 10% recovery chance. I'd say you're lucky she's not of the majority." She pushes Emma's arm out of the way. "Now, if you would actually like for her to completely recover, I ask that you let me do my job."

"Emma," Regina calls out. Emma looks up and sees Regina flexing her hand for Emma to take. She nods and moves up to hold Regina's hand while Henry stands to take position at Regina's other side.

"I'm going to start on the pads of your feet," Dr. Russler informs her, bending down to start. She rolls the tiny needles across the center of her foot and nods approvingly when Regina whimpers and clenches her toes. "Good. You're getting more movement too. We will start physical therapy tomorrow to get your mobility back."

Regina releases a long breath when the doctor stops, but clamps her eyes shut and grips their hands tight when she starts rolling the tool up her legs.

Henry watches on in horror, his fingers turning white from Regina's grip while Emma studies Regina's face and tries not to cry for her.

Gen watches on from the corner of the room, her laptop idly at her side while Mary Margaret desperately tries to read her book.

"Alright Henry, I'm going to have to ask you to move," Dr. Russler says, finished torturing Regina's legs.

Henry shoots Regina an apologetic smile and drops her hand, moving down to rest his hand on her shin, making sure she knows he's not going far.

"What now?" Regina asks watching the tool.

Dr. Russler picks up her hand, palm up. "I'm going across your palm and up your forearm."

Regina tries to nod, but she barely moves. When the doctor starts, she tries to jerk away, but her grip is too strong. She looks up at Emma with tears in her eyes. "It hurts," she whispers.

Emma bends down and kisses her forehead. "I know, babe. I'm sorry. You're almost done."

The doctor switches sides with Emma and does the same thing with positive results but a less than pleased Regina. "That's it, I promise, Mrs. Mills. You did a great job. You're healing well. I recommend you get some rest. When you're ready, we do need you to talk with the social worker." She turns to leave.

"Now," Regina says clearly.

Dr. Russler spins around. "I'm sorry?"

"Now," Regina repeats. "Talk now."

Studying Regina, Dr. Russler asks, "Are you certain? It can wait until tomorrow. You don't have your full speech back meaning you may not be able to communicate as well as you need to."

"Gen… can help. She- she knows," Regina says, eyes on Gen.

Gen nods and steps over to Regina's side. "I represent the Swan-Mills family, Doctor, and I already have a documented statement from Mrs. Mills the day after the accident."

"I hope you won't be trying to sway any responses for the benefit of Mrs. Swan," the doctor challenges.

"I am a professional, Dr. Russler. And I believe this matter is between the state and the Swan-Mills, not you."

Dr. Russler sucks her teeth and nods. She leaves the room.

Almost on cue, the social worker files in. "I'm going to have to ask everyone to please leave the room." She stares at Emma.

Emma rolls her eyes and bends down to kiss Regina. "I love you. I'll be back soon."

Regina's lips quirk up in almost a smile, and she squeezes Emma's hand.

Emma leaves the room with Mary Margaret. Before leaving, Henry trots to the bed and hugs Regina. "I love you, Mom."

"I… love you t- too," Regina stammers.

He smiles and kisses her cheek before sending a glare at the social worker then leaving.

Once the room is cleared, the social worker smiles at Regina. "Mrs. Mills, I'm glad to see you are feeling better. We were starting to worry about you."

Regina glares at her as best she can. "Em-ma did…n't do this on- on pur- pur- pur." She releases a sharp breath. "Purpose."

"I understand that you may want to protect your wife, Mrs. Mills. This can't be an easy situation, but you need to do what's best for your safety. Think about your son in this too."

Regina looks up at Gen.

"Ma'am, please get on with your questions. This is difficult enough on my client without your assumptions. Can we please keep this objective?"

"Of course," the social worker offers one of her fake smiles. "Should we start with formalities?"

"You can skip to the burning question," Gen deadpans.

The social worker pulls up a seat and sets her open folder on her crossed legs and prepares her pen to write. "Mrs. Mills, please tell me what happened on Saturday that sent you to a hospital that night then to this hospital the very next night."

Regina slowly explains about Emma's trauma and how she scared Emma at the wrong time. Gen helps fill in holes and finish sentences that Regina can't manage. By the end, Regina is clenching Gen's hand.

"Mrs. Mills, if you are hiding something from me, it will only hurt yourself." The social worker drops her pen in her lap, displeased with Regina's account that supports Emma's statement.

Gen folds her hands in her lap. "Both of these women have given you their account of the accident. I do not believe there is anything further they can offer you, do you?"

"My job is to ensure Mrs. Mills' safety," the social worker challenges.

"She has proven to you that she feels safe, and that the accident was exactly that, an accident."

The social worker hums her disapproval. "I'm leaving your case open for the duration of your stay."

Gen nods. "I expect little else from you. Now, if you would be so kind, the doctor suggested Mrs. Mills rest."

Gathering her things, the social worker stands. "I'll be checking in on you and Mrs. Swan. If there is anything else you would like to discuss, I will be ready to listen."

"Have a good day, ma'am," Gen smiles, encouraging her to leave.

The social worker spins on her heel and marches out of the room.

Once the door is closed, Regina looks up at Gen and studies her face. "Thank you," she says quietly.

"It's my pleasure," Gen smiles down at her. "I'm glad you called me the other day."

"Me too." Regina reaches out her hand for Gen to take again.

Emma enters the room, followed by Henry and Mary Margaret. She stops and stares at their joined hands. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," Regina confirms. She holds up her other hand for Emma. "Come…here."

Emma smiles and goes to Regina's side. She glances up at Gen then kisses Regina on the lips.


	54. Chapter 54

Gen and Emma sit on opposite sides of Regina who quickly fell asleep after the social worker left. After Gen handed over the rental car keys, Henry and Mary Margaret went to explore the town per Regina's suggestion.

Emma stares at Gen who is working on her laptop. "Why did she want you to stay?"

Gen glances up but continues typing. "The social worker suggested she would be keeping a close eye on this room. She may have felt it best for me to be here to handle any issues should they arise."

Emma slowly nods, but keeps her eyes on Gen even as she goes back to her laptop. "Is there a reason you won't tell me how you know Regina? She doesn't exactly get out much, and I've never seen you before Atlanta."

Keeping her eyes on the computer, Gen responds, "Perhaps she gets out more than you think."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I've never been to Storybrooke." Gen closes her laptop and glances at Regina, noticing she has woken up and is watching Gen. "Talk to your girlfriend," she says to neither of them in particular. She gathers her computer and leaves the room.

Emma watches her leave then turns back to Regina who has now focused on Emma. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, babe."

"It's okay," Regina tries to assure her. "I met her…" Regina has to take breaths every few words, still tired. "In New York a couple… a couple of years ago."

"After Robin?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know you went to New York."

"I never told you."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't have… wanted to know."

Emma stares at Regina, trying to understand where this conversation is headed. "Okay, so what happened?"

Regina releases a couple of weak coughs and sighs. "We were at… a conference. We met. We talked. We went out."

"Went out? Like on a date?" Emma scoots her chair closer, turning it to face Regina more directly.

"Yes."

"So, that's it? You went to New York, met gorgeous powerful lawyer, went on a date, came home?" Emma attempts not to sound as desperate as she feels. She tries to remind herself that they weren't together then, and she has no right to be jealous.

"I stayed for a week." Regina looks down for a moment then back up at Emma. "With her."

"Oh," Emma responds quietly. "So that's why you were gone. I remember you leaving. But I don't understand why you called her now."

"As you said… powerful lawyer. I still had her information."

Emma pulls her legs up in the chair. "Have you guys been like talking or anything this whole time?"

"Emma," Regina holds out her hand. Emma hesitates then intertwines their fingers. "She helped me realize… I had feelings for you."

Emma perks up. "You've had feelings for me for over two years now?"

Regina's lip quirks up as she attempts to smile. "Yes, idiot, I have."

With a goofy smile, Emma leans forward and kisses Regina's hand. "Okay, so you guys didn't even do anything. Why wouldn't Gen tell me that?"

Regina looks at Emma for a moment before starting. "Emma, I stayed with that… woman for a week. Things happened."

Emma slumps back in her chair. "That means you've probably had sex with her more times than me."

"It's not a compe- competition, my love."

"Not even denying it?" Emma throws up her hands. "Damn, that must have been a busy week."

"And at the end of it, I wanted… nothing more… than to come home to someone… I had never even been with. Shouldn't that… mean something to you?"

Emma looks back and forth between Regina's eyes. "That someone was me, right?"

Regina tries but fails to roll her eyes. "You are such… an idiot, Miss Swan."

Emma smiles faintly. "Your idiot."

"Yes, you are," Regina holds out her hand for Emma again, relieved when Emma doesn't hesitate this time.

"I wish she wasn't so damn appealing."

Regina raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"If she was a bitch, it'd be so much easier to hate her right now, but she's literally done nothing wrong. It's terrible."

Regina softly chuckles. "You're adorable."

Emma shrugs and kisses Regina's hand. "I try."


	55. Chapter 55

Ready to leave for the night, Henry and Mary Margaret say goodbye to Regina then leave Emma and Gen in the room.

Gen smiles down at Regina. "I'm glad to see you're improving so well. Do you need anything from me for the night?"

Regina stares up at Gen for a moment before responding, "Thank you. I think we will be alright. You'll be here tomorrow?"

Gen turns to Emma. "Tomorrow is the last of the work week. We need to contact your employer. Are you prepared to handle that in the morning?"

"I guess," Emma sighs. "Do you think it's necessary?"

"Quite. Have a good night." She glances back at Regina, catching her gaze, then exits.

Emma notices Regina's eyes following Gen out the door. "Everything okay?"

Finally able to move her head more, Regina nods lightly. "Yes."

"You just seemed caught up or something." Emma moves over and sits on the edge of the bed.

"I'll admit it's odd seeing her after so long." Regina looks down at her hands.

"I shouldn't be worried or anything should I?" Emma tries to sound lighthearted to cover her insecurities.

"Look at me, Emma. I'm certainly not going anywhere."

"Emotionally?" Emma asks just above a whisper.

"I'm still right here," Regina says, holding her hand up for Emma. "Lay down with me. I'm tired."

Emma lays down and wraps her arms around Regina. "I'm sorry for being jealous."

"I'm no better," Regina responds, rubbing small circles on Emma's back with what little movement she has available. "Sleep well, my love."

Emma lifts her head and kisses Regina's cheek then tucks her head into her neck. "I love you." She waits a few moments but hears no response. Looking up again, she sees Regina is sleeping and gives her another kiss before going to sleep.

The next morning, the room is full again. A nurse enters with a wheel chair and smiles at Regina. "Ready for first day of PT?"

"Come with me, Henry?" Regina asks, squeezing his hand.

He smiles. "Of course, Mom. I'd like to help."

"Mary Margaret?" Regina asks.

Mary Margaret's eyes widen and she looks around before settling on Regina. "You want me to come with you to physical therapy?"

"Emma has to take care of work, and I need someone who knows how to help me back home. That is, if you're willing to help."

Mary Margaret stands and smiles. "I wouldn't still be here if I didn't want to help."

"We will need to transfer you to the chair." The nurse pushes the chair to her bedside and locks the wheels.

"Let me," Emma says, quickly stepping past the nurse and scooping Regina into her arms. She kisses her lips then sets her in the chair. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Regina rubs her hand. "You have to do this, Emma. I have Henry and your mom."

Emma glances up at Mary Margaret then back down to Regina. "Yeah, about that… feeling okay?"

Regina releases a single laugh. "We are making progress, dear."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." She kisses Regina's head. "I love you."

Regina smiles up at her then nods to the nurse. On the way toward the exit, she looks at Gen. "Take care of her."

Gen nods. "I will do my best. Focus on yourself."

Emma closes the door behind them and drops down in a chair across from Gen. "She told me what happened. About you two."

"I presumed as much," Gen says, opening her laptop.

"You know she loves me now."

"I don't fool myself by thinking she ever loved me." Gen doesn't bother looking up at Emma.

Emma nods slowly. "Well, I love her a lot, and I'm not going anywhere."

Finally Gen looks up. "Have I given you the impression that I am here to take Regina from you?"

"No," Emma says quietly.

"Then please calm down, and let's get to work. I have a job to do, and you have a job to maintain. I would rather not charge Ms. Mills for you bickering about who loves who."

Emma nods and waits for Gen to open a chat with HR. "Did you love her?"

Gen stops typing. "She is a hard woman not to fall for."

"Do you still love her?"

Gen sighs and looks up at Emma. "Regina is an incredibly intriguing woman, but no, I am not in love with her. Even if I did, would it matter?"

"I don't know."

"She loves you, Emma. You have nothing to worry about." Gen goes back to opening the chat and spins the computer to face Emma. "She made that clear years ago."

Emma smiles, but her face falls when she sees the face of the HR manager pop up on the screen. "Emma, hi," he says with a smile. "We were starting to worry about you. Is everything okay with your… partner?"

"Girlfriend, and she's improving. Thanks."

"That's great news. We've of course been reviewing your case. You know we are terribly sorry that all of this happened to you, and she has been suspended."

"Suspended?" Emma gapes at him. "Did you mean fired?"

"Well, no. This appears to be a first offense, and-"

"Are you fucking with me?" Emma leans closer to the computer.

"Emma, please. Let's keep this professional."

"Professional?" Emma clears her throat. "Professional is providing a safe work environment for your employees by eliminating unsafe conditions and removing personnel that are a risk. She is clearly a risk. She tried to seduce me by locking her in her office and groping me. Did you miss that part of the report?"

"At this point, Emma, I don't think it's appropriate to continue a discussion of her employment status. Let's worry about you. Your office is ready and available for you as soon as you return. Please understand, however, that beyond this week, we cannot excuse your absences and you are taking your job into your own hands."

"That's it? Not even going to offer any solutions?"

"You may apply for FMLA. I will send the paperwork to Ms. Roland."

Emma shakes her head. "So, I'm going to have FMLA to take care of my girlfriend who was just in a coma because I freaked out after being assaulted by my supervisor, then I'm gonna come back to work, and my supervisor who started all of this will once again be my supervisor?"

"Her suspension will expire by the end of the month."

"You people are unbelievable."

Gen gets up and moves around the table to stand behind Emma. "Sir, do you understand that by neglecting to strip this woman of her title and employment you are subjecting my client to the same harm inflicted on her recently?"

"We feel that after the trainings and suspension, she will be better suited for the workplace."

"Do you also understand that if you choose this path and my client is forced to work in the same office as that woman, I will file a lawsuit against your company?"

He stares at her for a few moments. "I believe you will find that we are working in the best interest of all involved parties."

"Bullshit," Emma scoffs at him.

"Sir, I suggest you reflect on the next course of action carefully while Ms. Swan is on a leave of absence. Send the paperwork. You will hear from me shortly." Gen closes the computer, ending the call.

"Can they even do this?" Emma asks, still staring at the computer.

"Not without repercussions. I will take care of this." Gen goes back to her chair and spins the computer around to face her.

"Thank you," Emma tries to sound as genuine as possible. "I know I've been giving you a hard time about Regina, but thank you for everything you've done for us. I don't think I can ever repay you for this."

"I'm certain the bill will reflect otherwise," Gen says with a smirk and a wink, causing Emma to laugh.


	56. Chapter 56

Regina returns from physical therapy covered in sweat. Seeing her, Emma jumps up out of her chair to put her back in the bed.

Before Emma lays her down, the nurse stops her. "She needs to be bathed. The doctor wants her to use one of the showers."

"I'll do it," Emma says, sitting her back in the chair.

The nurse nods and leads Emma to a room nearby with a shower containing a hanging seat. "Do you want help?" the nurse asks.

"I put her in that, she holds the hangy thingies, I use the shower head and wash her?"

The nurse chuckles. "Pretty much. Hit the button if you need me." She leaves them in the room.

Emma leans down and kisses Regina's forehead. "How did it go?"

"It was hard. Nothing works very well, yet it all hurt." Regina tries her best to shift and make it easier on Emma to remove her gown.

Emma tosses the gown in a laundry bin. "Good thing there's extras in here, cause your butt is sweaty."

Regina glares at her. "You try being practically paralyzed yet forced to move every muscle in your body."

Squatting in front of her, Emma places her hands on Regina's knees. "I'm sorry it was hard on you. It'll get easier eventually. And we won't be here forever."

With a sigh, Regina nods. "I want to be home."

"Well, you seem to be stable. Maybe we can convince the doctor to at least transfer you back to Storybrooke." Emma scoops Regina up out of the chair and secures her in the shower seat. "Grip these," she instructs, wrapping Regina's hands around the ropes from the ceiling.

"Great, and be under Whale's care who essentially sent me home with a headache."

Emma starts the shower and holds her hand under it until it warms. "No one ever accused him of being the world's greatest doctor. We'll be home though."

"We?" Regina studies Emma.

"Gen helped me file my FMLA paperwork. I'm sure it'll take a bit to get approved, but I'll be able to stay with you until you're released from doctor care. I guess that'll be Whale."

Regina nods. "That'll be nice."

Slowly running the water over Regina's body, Emma smiles at her. "I know you were really looking forward to all that time with mom, but you'll have to do with me."

"I'm sure I'll manage."

Emma grabs a sponge, soaps it, and starts running it over Regina's body. "I'm not gonna lie, it is hard to look at you and not have some very appropriate thoughts."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Sex is the last thing on my mind, Emma."

"Then I'll just have to enjoy the view." Noticing Regina close her eyes and rest her head against the ropes, Emma slows down, letting Regina enjoy her time outside of the bed. "You're beautiful," Emma says, leaning in to take a kiss.

Regina smiles against her lips but keeps her eyes closed. "As are you, my love." Regina opens one eye and smirks. "But you may consider a visit to the hotel room to take a shower of your own."

"Are you saying I stink?" Emma narrows her eyes.

Regina kisses her lips again. "Yes, dear."

"Fine, you need to rest, so I'll go while you're napping." She leans Regina's head back slightly to wash her hair. "I love your hair."

"It's a mess, I'm sure."

Emma kisses her wet hair. "Still love it." Kneading Regina's hair, Emma chews on her cheek, thinking. "Did you ever know Gen may have loved you?"

Regina opens her eyes and looks up at Emma. "Does that bother you?"

Emma shrugs. "I'm not sure. She says she doesn't anymore, which I find hard to believe."

"Why?"

"Cause look at you. You're magnificent."

Regina smiles at her again. "That was a different time, Emma. We played an important role in each other's lives, however brief. I may not have ever accepted my feelings for you if not for her."

Emma nods. "I can live with that." She turns off the water and grabs a towel to dry Regina off. "Ready to go back?"

"Yes, the idea of laying in that bed for another day thrills me."

"I'll talk to the doctor and see if we can't get you out of here this weekend."

"Thank you."

Emma kisses Regina. "Anything for you."


	57. Chapter 57

Regina lays in the bed, watching Gen work on her computer. The rest of the room is empty, Mary Margaret having driven Emma and Henry to the hotel then for a meal out.

"You should be sleeping," Gen says, eyes on the screen in front of her.

"This feels odd, having you here," Regina studies her.

"Did you miss me?"

Regina fiddles with her fingers. "I didn't used to think so, but now that you're here, maybe." She drops her hands and sighs at herself. "I apologize for my lack of eloquence recently."

Gen looks up at her and smiles. "It's quite alright. You have been through a lot. You're permitted a few mishaps."

"And you've been at our side this whole time. Why?"

"You hired me to do exactly that. Did you think I would suddenly drop the case at the notion of seeing you?" Gen closes her laptop and sits back, crossing her legs.

"The thought has crossed my mind."

Gen holds out her hands. "Here am I, Ms. Mills."

"Here you are, Ms. Roland," Regina responds quieter. They watch each other for a few moments before Regina smiles. "My bill is going to be extraordinary, isn't it?"

Gen nods. "I may have to permit a payment plan."

Regina chuckles. "I appreciate the generosity. How much longer are you staying?"

"How much longer do you want me to stay?"

Regina looks down again. "I'm not sure. Let's at least get out of this hospital before you leave."

"Very well. And after that?" Gen folds her hands in her lap and watches Regina intently.

"Does Emma still need you?" When Gen nods, she continues. "Then I guess you should stay."

"New York isn't too terribly far away, Regina. I can give you space, work with Emma remotely, then travel when needed."

Regina meets her gaze. "I'm confused."

"About?"

Regina opens her mouth to respond, but the door swings open.

Emma's smile falls when she sees Regina's mouth hanging open and the expression on her face. "Is everything okay?"

Regina slams shut her mouth and turns to Emma. "Yes, we were just talking."

Emma looks between them. "And is everything okay?"

"Quite fine, Emma," Gen responds. She stands and collects her things. "I need to make a few calls for work, if you will excuse me."

Mary Margaret hands the rental car keys to Gen as she excuses herself from the room.

"Hey, Mom," Henry says, moving over to her side for a hug.

"Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a nice meal?" She kisses his head before he pulls back.

"We had massive greasy subs that you would have hated. Jealous?"

"Entirely," Regina lies.

Henry grabs a deck of cards off the table near her bed. "Up to playing?"

Regina nods. "I'm certain I can manage. I feel alright."

Emma moves over to the other side. She waves to Mary Margaret. "Come on, Mom. We'll teach you how to play."

Mary Margaret smiles and pulls up a chair next to Emma.

Regina runs her hand down Emma's cheek. "Did you talk to the doctor?"

"I think she's avoiding me."

"Well can you seek her out?"

Emma shrugs. "I'll do my best."

"Emma, I want out of here. If you can't talk to her, then send her to me." She waits for Emma to put down her cards and look at her. "Please."

"Of course. I'm sorry." She hands her cards back to Henry and stands up, leaning to kiss Regina's cheek. "I'll make it happen. You play."

Regina squeezes her hand. "Thank you, dear."

Emma nods and leaves the room, taking a deep breath once she closes the door behind her. "Not like they're going to eat you alive, Swan. Come on."

She walks toward Dr. Russler's office, trying to gather her confidence. She reaches out to knock on the door, but the door swings open, and she comes face-to-face with the doctor.

"Mrs. Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Emma clears her throat. "Regina, my wife, and I feel that she is ready to go home."

"You do, do you?" Dr. Russler crosses her arms.

"She's stable, right?"

"She is improving."

"Well, is there any reason she has to be here?"

"She needs a lot of assistance. She will need nearly non-stop care and aggressive physical therapy every day."

Emma nods. "Okay, we can do that."

The doctor rolls her eyes. "Don't minimize what this requires."

"We have a hospital back home. Can't they take care of her?"

The doctor eyes her closely. "Do you have your wife's health as your priority, or do you just want to run away from this… accident?"

"You're unbelievable. You can't keep her here. We both did our little interviews. The case should be dropped at this point, whether you agree or not."

Dr. Russler sucks her teeth. "You are right, I cannot keep her here. We will discharge her tonight to be transferred to Dr. Whale's care. I ask that you keep yourself in line and take care of whatever it is that leads to accidents such as this in your home." She pushes past Emma.

"It was lovely working with you too. Bitch," she mumbles before turning and heading back to Regina's room.

She stops before opening the door, enjoying the sound of Regina's light laughter. Opening the door, she sees the three well into a game, Regina looking carefree for the first time in days.

Regina looks up and raises her eyebrows.

Emma nods. "Tonight you'll be a free woman. Or at least for however long it takes to drive to the hospital. You're being transferred to Whale's care."

"At least it's closer to home. I'll take Whale for that."

"Agreed." Emma pops up on the edge of the bed, lifts up Regina's feet, and sets them back down in her lap. She starts massaging Regina's feet. "Now we just have to figure out how to get home."

Mary Margaret removes her phone from her pocket. "I'll call your father."

"No," Emma states firmly.

"Emma, we need him to get us."

"No, we'll just ask Gen to do it."

Regina shakes her head. "Gen is going back to New York as soon as I discharge. She said she'd come when you need her."

Emma looks between them. "I don't want to see David."

Mary Margaret sighs. "Emma, you can't avoid your father forever. I know you feel betrayed."

"Yeah, because he betrayed me."

"No, Emma," Regina taps her with her foot. "He did not. I'm the one that told him not to tell you. He was following my wishes."

"Which were stupid wishes that caused me a lot of unnecessary pain when I could have been here with you having a different unnecessary pain."

Regina chuckles. "Emma, forgive your father. This is not his fault. If you want someone to blame, blame me."

"But I don't want to blame you. I love you."

"You love your father."

Emma narrows her eyes. "Maybe."

Mary Margaret stands up and calls David. "I'm calling your father."

Emma groans and drops her chin against her chest. "It's easier to be mad at him right now."

Henry pats her back. "You could always try just getting over it."

Emma spins around and looks at him. "Yeah, like you're so good at just getting over stuff."

Henry shrugs. "I learn from my parents."

"Shush, you." She watches Mary Margaret step into the hallway.

Regina bounces her feet in Emma's lap. "I never said stop."

Emma shakes her head and starts massaging her feet again. "You're lucky I love you."

Regina winks at her.


	58. Chapter 58

Fortunately for Regina, David thought far enough ahead to bring her some actual clothes. The t-shirt and sweat pants would not have been her first choice, but they are better than the hospital gown she has spent way too much time in over the last week. She leans against Emma, having a hard time keeping herself upright for the drive. On her other side, Henry holds her hand and thumbs through a comic book.

Emma is thankful that Mary Margaret made no effort to put herself between Emma and Regina in the backseat this time. In fact, she has spent much of the time wedging herself between father and daughter. At the hospital, before David showed up, Emma thought she was ready to let it go, but as soon as she saw his face, she instantly felt betrayed by her lying father, regardless of his intentions.

"Can we go home first?" Regina asks Emma quietly.

Emma kisses her forehead. "We are supposed to transfer directly to Whale. I don't particularly want that case following us because she left the hospital AMA."

"I don't think they realize I'm the mayor and your father is the sheriff. Who's going to come after us?"

"We don't need any unwanted attention. I don't trust those people."

Regina deflates. "I just want to see my house. I want a semblance of normality, even if for a moment."

Emma studies her. "Alright, but only for a few minutes and then we have to go check in with Whale."

Smiling, Regina kisses Emma's cheek. "Thank you, my love."

Emma turns and softly kisses Regina's lips. "I love you."

"I'm glad," Regina pecks her lips again then nestles into Emma's neck. She closes her eyes and rests.

Trying not to disturb Regina, Emma texts Mary Margaret about going to the mansion first. She taps Mary Margaret's shoulder and wags the phone when she turns to look at her.

"Go to the mansion," Mary Margaret whispers to David.

He glances back at Emma, noting Regina with her eyes shut, and nods to her.

Emma gives him a faint smile in return.

The rest of the drive is mostly silent, with Emma trying desperately not to move from Regina's tickling breath on her neck.

When they pull up to the mansion, Henry springs out to grab the wheel chair from the trunk while Emma gently strokes Regina's hair and kisses her face to wake her up.

Regina's eyes flutter open then widen instantly when she sees the mansion. "Finally," she breathes out.

Emma slides out and lifts her out of the car. Henry rolls up the wheel chair and waits, but Emma just stands with Regina in her arms.

Regina looks between Emma and the chair. "Are you planning on placing me in the chair?"

"I kind of like just having you in my arms," Emma smirks.

"At this rate, you'll have plenty of time to carry me. Now, put me in the chair, dear."

Emma groans dramatically. "Fine, but I get a kiss." She closes her eyes and leans down close to Regina's face and waits for Regina to close the distance. Her eyes widen and she sputters when Regina suddenly licks her face instead of kissing her. "Gah. Here." She quickly puts Regina in the chair and wipes her face. "You're so gross."

Regina giggles, watching Emma squirm. "You like it."

Emma grins and leans down in Regina's ear. "Those aren't the lips I want you licking."

Regina gasps and swats Emma's arm. "Control yourself, Miss Swan."

"We gonna do this?" Henry asks impatiently behind the chair. He glances and sees David and Mary Margaret waiting in the car.

Emma gestures for them to pass before striding past them in the grass to unlock the door. She helps Henry jump the step to the door.

Regina releases a sigh of relief when she enters the house. "At times I forget how much comfort I find in home." She runs her fingers along a table and grimaces at the tiny amount of dust. "Even if it could use a good cleaning."

"Henry and I will go on a cleaning spree this weekend before he leaves for Atlanta on Sunday."

"What?" Henry and Regina ask in unison.

Emma shrugs. "The kid has school. He can't miss a whole nother week."

"I thought you were staying," Regina says.

"I am. But Henry's got to go back."

Regina looks at Henry then back to Emma. "But he'll be alone."

Henry steps forward. "I want to be here with Mom."

"I know, kid," Emma squeezes his shoulder. "But you can't mess up your first year of college. You only get so many absences. I'll be here to take care of your mom. I promise I'll do everything I can for her. And we'll call you every night."

Regina shakes her head. "I don't want him to be there alone."

Emma squats down in front of Regina, hands on Regina's knees. "Babe, he's not a little boy anymore. He can do this. I'll give him money. He's in walking distance of campus and his friends. He knows how to handle himself in the apartment. He's going to be fine."

Regina looks up at Henry questioningly.

He nods. "Yeah, Mom. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

She holds out her hand for him to take. "I love you so much, Henry. I want you to be safe."

"I will be, Mom. Don't worry. Like Ma said, we'll talk every day."

She pulls his hand to her lips and kisses it lightly. "Make sure you call every morning when you get to class, then when you get back to the apartment, then before you go to bed. And at any other time you want. If you don't feel safe, you call us right away."

"Mom," Henry smiles down at her. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Next weekend, your mother will come visit you," Regina states firmly.

"I will?" Emma asks.

Regina snaps her head around and stares at Emma. "Yes."

Emma nods. "Then yes, I will."

After a quick tour of the downstairs, Regina picks out a few books to take to the hospital. They go back out to the car, and finish the journey to the hospital.

Whale is waiting for them as they wheel Regina through the hospital doors. "Mayor Mills, I have to admit it's disappointing to see you back."

Regina sucks her teeth. "Perhaps if I had simply stayed for a bit more testing we wouldn't be having this meeting."

"Perhaps." Whale gestures for them to follow him into a hospital room where Emma lays her in a bed. "I've reviewed your file. Tonight, simply rest then tomorrow we will start therapy." He turns to leave as a nurse steps in to hook up Regina's IV.

"Wait," Regina calls out stopping him. When he turns back to her, she waves him over. Once at her side, she leans up toward him. "I need to see Archie tomorrow."

Whale studies her face. "Can I ask why?"

"I'd rather you not."

He nods slowly. "I'll call him in the morning."

"Thank you."

Having been the only one to hear the brief interaction, Emma watches him leave then looks to Regina. "What's wrong?"

Regina clenches her jaw then shakes her head. "I just need to talk to the cricket."

"But, why?"

"Emma, I just need to talk to him," she bites back.

Emma opens her mouth to respond, but Regina's firm glare stops her. "Okay," she says and moves to sit in a chair.

Finished, the nurse steps past David and Mary Margaret in the doorway to exit. "Regina," Mary Margaret starts. "Would you like us to stay for any reason, or should we simply return tomorrow?"

"Go home, thank you," Regina responds. "We will call you tomorrow if we need anything. Henry, go home and sleep."

"But I want to be here," he argues.

"You don't have much time left. Go be with Grace then come back tomorrow to visit at some point. Have a nice meal for both of us." She smiles at him.

"I love you, Mom." He hugs her.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Say hello to Grace." She watches them leave then turns to Emma. "Are you tired?"

"Nope, just curious."

Regina shakes her head. "Then you'll have to stay curious, Emma. I am tired and need to rest. You're more than welcome to lay in the bed with me. It's your decision." She closes her eyes and tightens the sheet up around her chest.

Emma sighs and slumps in the chair, staring at Regina. Grumbling, she rolls her eyes and clambers into the bed next to Regina. "I love you," Emma states, wrapping her arms around Regina.

"I know," Regina responds, gripping Emma's arm over her torso.


	59. Chapter 59

"Are you sure about this?" Emma asks, settling Regina in the wheelchair next to her hospital bed.

"Yes, Emma," Regina tries to straighten out her clothes. Emma helped her change into a pair of slacks and a button up as Regina insisted on going to Archie's office. "I want the privacy. This place is no better than a glass house."

"Do you want me to be with you?" Emma asks hopefully.

Regina keeps her eyes on her hands. "No, dear. I will be fine. Thank you." Ready, she folds her hands in her lap and looks straight ahead.

Emma sighs and starts pushing the wheel chair out of the room.

Outside, Henry and Grace are waiting in his car. Henry jumps out to help Emma put Regina in the car and the wheelchair in the trunk before they leave for Archie's.

"Mom," Henry starts. "Do you need me to come in with you?"

Regina smiles and shakes her head. "Thank you, sweetheart. I will be fine."

Emma leans over to her. "Is there something I need to know? Why are you keeping me in the dark?"

"Because maybe I'm in the dark too, Emma." Unwilling to look Emma in the eye, Regina keeps her eyes forward. "I can't tell you what I don't know. Please, let me talk to Dr. Hopper then I will discuss the matter with you when I better understand."

Emma studies her then nods. "Okay. I'm sorry for pressuring you. I trust you." She squeezes Regina's hand. "Just know that no matter what, I'll always love you."

Regina quickly turns her head to the window and clenches her eyes shut and nods, squeezing Emma's hand in return.

The three drop Regina off at the office so Henry and Grace can take Emma to retrieve Regina's car to keep at the hospital.

Archie tests his pen on his paper and sits across from Regina, noting how she looks at the chairs from her wheelchair, wishing she could move and sit how she feels comfortable.

He waits for her to turn her attention to him and smiles. "How are you, Regina?"

"I'm trapped in a wheel chair, my temporary housing is with Whale, and I'm here with you." She glares at him.

"Why don't you tell me why you're here then? Whale called last night and again early this morning." Archie crosses his legs and settles into his chair, ready to listen.

Regina stares at her hands and picks imaginary lint off her pants. "Is it normal to wake up… different?"

"From your coma? In what way do you feel different?"

She looks up at him. "Is it normal to wake up different?"

"Regina, you're dealing with a traumatic injury. Your body and brain have dealt with a lot this last week. You aren't even healed yet. Things are going to feel different for a while."

"I don't just mean my body. I feel different. My feelings have changed."

Archie studies her face. "Your feelings? In what way?"

Regina rubs her thighs. "I remember everything. Every detail. Every kiss. Every touch. Every inch of her."

"Her?"

"Miss Swan."

Archie's eyebrows rise. "Oh. So you don't have any memory loss, that's a positive."

"No, it's not," Regina argues. "Do you know what it's like to see all of these things playing out in your head? Remembering exactly what you said, but not having any idea what you meant by those words? She says she loves me, and I panic. I feel compelled to say it because I remember saying it, but now I can't. I'd be lying."

"Before the accident, you had feelings for Emma, and you're saying that now you don't?"

"Yes. Ever since I woke up. I look at her and see everything that I know I was once desperately in love with, but I don't feel anything." Tears start streaming down Regina's cheeks.

"Brain injuries can cause a lot of drastic changes. You're lucky you even woke up from your coma. You're already regaining your mobility. This will likely return too."

Regina wipes her tears. "But nothing seems to be different for other people. I still love Henry. I was oddly comforted to see Mary Margaret after a short wave of bitterness. And I still love Emma as my friend and as Henry's mother." She sighs and slouches.

"So it appears you have a problem with your romantic feelings. What about sexual feelings? Does your libido appear to be affected?"

Regina shakes her head. "I'm not interested in sex right now; however, I can still feel attraction."

"To Emma?"

Regina shakes her head again.

"Can I ask who?" Archie asks.

"It's not important. The problem isn't what my other feeling are. The problem is the feelings that I'm lacking."

Archie nods. "There are psychological effects from any TBI, and you need to allow yourself time to adjust to the changes. There is no reason to believe this is permanent. The romantic feelings you had for Emma were likely some of the strongest emotions on your mind which is why they were impacted. I imagine that many of your other emotions were impacted as well; however, you are so focused on this one that you aren't noticing."

Regina drops her head in her hand. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I recommend you tell your family what you're feeling."

Her head snaps up. "You want me to tell this woman who is supposed to be the love of my life that oh sorry, don't feel the same anymore?"

Archie lays down his pencil. "Would you rather lie to her and hope she doesn't notice?"

They stare at each other. Regina clears her throat. "It depends on which one would be easier."

"Regina, I'm not going to pretend like I can tell you what to do, but you're here for a reason. Take my advice. Emma knows something is wrong. I saw her face when you told her she could go after bringing you in here. Talk to her. Be honest with her."

"She's just going to blame herself."

"She's already blaming herself."

Regina sighs and folds her hands in her lap. They stare at each other again.

Half an hour later, Emma returns and knocks on the door to Archie's office. When Archie calls her in, she slowly opens the door and looks between them.

Regina nods for her to enter. "Sit by me."

Emma gulps when she notices the tear streaks down Regina's cheeks and slowly steps into the room, her hands in her back pockets.

Archie smiles at Regina. "Take your time." He gets up and leaves the office, closing the door behind him.

Emma stares at the door he left through then slowly turns to look at Regina. "Did, uh, did it go well?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "Just wonderful, Miss Swan."

"Emma," she corrects.

Regina's turns and looks at her. "Emma." She takes her time to run her eyes over Emma's body, studying her. "I know exactly what you look like."

Unsure how to respond, Emma shifts a bit on the couch, scooting closer to Regina.

"I like what you look like," Regina reasons.

"Um, thanks," Emma responds, trying to catch Regina's gaze, but she keeps her eyes roaming over Emma.

"But it means nothing to me right now." Regina finally looks at Emma.

Emma's breath catches. "What?"

"Emma, I know you love me, and I remember loving you-"

"What?" Emma scoots closer to Regina again and grips the side of the couch.

"Something changed. I woke up… different." Regina drops her eyes, unable to look at Emma anymore.

"Babe, I don't understand."

"My emotions have changed."

"What emotions?" Emma starts becoming desperate, wanting Regina to just tell her what's happening.

"The cricket says all of them. I've only noticed some." Regina rolls her head to the side and rests it on her own shoulder with her eyes shut.

"Okay, so we can work through this. It's okay. Emotions change all the time."

Regina nods. "I hope so."

Emma gets down on the ground in front of Regina and holds her hands. "We can get through anything together. Just remember that I love you and you love me and-"

Regina looks at Emma. A tear falls down her cheek. "I don't love you."

Emma's mouth hangs open and she releases Regina's hand. She drops back on her ass. "But… you do love me."

Regina shakes her head. "No. I only remember loving you."

They stare at each other and silently let tears falls.


	60. Chapter 60

Emma tucks the sheet around Regina in the hospital bed after helping her change back into the shorts and t-shirt.

Regina grabs Emma's arms and waits for her to look at her. "I know that I still love you as my friend."

"I don't need a friend, Regina." Emma drops her eyes and smooths out the sheet. She gently removes Regina's hands. "This isn't your fault. In fact, it's very much my fault, but that doesn't make it any easier."

Regina reaches out for Emma again, but Emma steps back. "Archie says that it might get better."

"You've never been very good at gambling." Emma pulls out her phone and checks the time. "Mary Margaret will be here soon."

"For what?"

"She's going to help you with physical therapy."

Regina tries to move to catch Emma's eyes, but Emma keeps looking everywhere but at Regina. "I thought you were helping me."

"Henry and I promised you we'd clean, remember? We will be at the house."

"Oh," Regina drops her head. "Emma?" She waits, but Emma doesn't turn to her so she continues, "Are you alright?"

Emma's head snaps around, and she glares at Regina. "Am I alright? How on earth would I be okay right now? Everything, absolutely everything, is fucking ruined. And I did it. Do you know how badly I want to say 'well maybe she never loved me anyways' and pack up and leave? But I can't. I have to constantly remind myself that this is just your stupid brain trying to screw up my entire freaking life, but there's one thing that I can't seem to forget: at the end of the day, this is all my doing. Not only are you in the hospital, but you don't love me suddenly because I can't control my stupid little problems."

"It's not a stupid little problem," Regina responds gently.

"It feels like a pretty stupid little problem compared to the rest of this." Emma grips her hands on her hips and drops her head, taking calming breaths. "I love you, and I am going to do whatever it takes to fix this. It's not your fault. I know that. Just…" She looks up at Regina. "Just give me a little bit of time to process this."

Regina nods. "I… Okay. I'll miss you."

"You sure about that?" Emma scoffs without realizing it.

"Yes. I don't want you out of my life suddenly. I may not be able to understand what my feelings are for you, but you are still an important part of me."

"Well, that's great." Emma hears footsteps and moves to the door. She smiles when she sees Mary Margaret. "Hey Mom. I'm off to meet Henry. Bye." She gives her a quick hug and bolts from the room.

Regina watches her go then drops her head back against the pillow.

Mary Margaret slowly approaches the bed. "Regina, what's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Your dreams have come true, my dear Snow. I no longer love your daughter, and I broke her heart just like you expected."

Mary Margaret stares at her with wide eyes.

In the living room, Emma and Henry lazily dust the furniture.

"Can't Mom just hire a maid?" Henry complains.

"There are less than a handful of people in any world that she trusts. I don't think a maid makes the cut." Emma's fingers linger on a family picture sitting on a shelf.

Henry stands next to her and bumps her shoulder. "We'll get back to that soon."

Emma looks at him questioningly. He nods to the picture, but she shakes her head. "I'm not so sure, kid."

"What do you mean? She's getting better right? I mean, we wouldn't be here if she wasn't getting better."

Emma quickly turns and grabs his shoulders, realizing he's starting to panic. "Henry, woah. Yes, she's getting better."

"Then what's the problem?"

Emma closes her eyes and sighs before looking at him again. "She's… changed, a bit. She isn't as in tune with her emotions as she was before the accident."

Henry studies her face. "I'm really not sure where this is going, Ma. Cut the cryptic?"

Emma drops her hands. "Operation Swan-Mills is a bust, kid. Okay? I fucked up her brain a little too much. Looks like it's not in the cards for us."

Henry's eyes bulge. "What?" he practically yells.

"I'm not happy about it either, okay?" She moves past him to start dusting again.

He grabs her arm and spins her back. "So that's it? You're giving up?"

Emma shrugs and tries to turn away again, but he doesn't let her. "What do you want from me, Henry?"

"I want you to care. I want you to give a damn about this family and try to fix it."

Emma knocks his tightening grip off her shoulder. "I do give a damn. If you haven't noticed, Henry, here I stand, trying pretty damn hard to keep it together. For this family. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not giving up. But I'm also not going to shove my love down her throat when she doesn't want it."

"Did she say she doesn't want it?"

Emma rolls her eyes. "When she looked in my eyes and said I don't love you, the message was pretty clear."

Henry steps in front of her when she turns away. "But did she say she doesn't want your love?"

Emma stares at him. "What are you getting at?"

"She had her feelings for you unjustly torn away, and now you're just going to take away the last shred of hope for you two by taking your feelings from her too?"

"So I'm supposed to just pour my love into her and get nothing in return?"

"Yes," Henry shouts back as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Emma shakes her head. "Sounds like a pretty raw deal for me." She turns away.

He yanks her back around again. "Yeah, well, it's your fucking fault, so deal with the consequences."

"And there it is," she says through clenched teeth. They stare at each other.


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N: Guys, I am so sorry for not posting in forever. On a mission to get back on top of this story. I have one word to explain my absence: Divorce.**

Henry and Emma parted ways after cleaning the house in silence, Henry with Grace and Emma hospital bound.

Emma steps in the hospital room to find Mary Margaret reading a book and Regina asleep. "Hey, Mom," she says quietly.

Mary Margaret looks up with a smile. She gathers her belongings and steps in front of Emma. "It was hard on her today. She made progress begrudgingly. Didn't seem to have much motivation today."

Emma nods. "She had a rough morning. Thanks for watching over her."

Mary Margaret kisses Emma's cheek and steps past her. "Call me when you need me."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, Emma." Mary Margaret leaves the room.

Moving over to the edge of the bed, Emma grips the rail and studies Regina's sleeping form. "I love you so much. I just wish you could love me too; love me like you used to."

Emma jumps as her phone rings in her pocket. She notices Regina stir and quickly silences the ring. She steps into the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Swan," Gen's voice rings through the phone. "Do you have a moment to speak?"

Emma pulls the phone from her ear to check the caller ID, seeing it is in fact her lawyer. "I guess. What's up?"

"I've been emailing you."

"Oh. Um, I guess I've been ignoring you then."

"Yes, that is apparent. When we are finished on this call, please review them and respond accordingly."

Emma clears her throat and shifts her weight between her feet. "Alright. Regina's asleep, so I guess I can do that until she wakes up."

"How is she?"

"She'll survive."

Gen waits a moment to respond. "We will return to that next time we speak. Progress has been made on your case. You will be receiving back pay for all of your time missed after the incident up until the leave of absence. I also had your supervisor suspended through mediation."

Emma straightens up. "Mediation?"

"Yes, that is the next step in the process."

"Wait, are we suing them?"

"Yes, we are."

Emma runs her hand down her face. "Why does this all have to happening at the same time?"

"If you recall, one would not exist without the other."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Right. What do I need to do?"

"Respond to my emails. One is requesting available dates for mediation. You and I will both need to be in Atlanta during that period of time."

Groaning, Emma asks, "How long is that going to take?"

"If all goes well, we can keep it to a single day; however, there is no guarantee. So far the corporate lawyer has been less than amicable."

"Great." Emma turns and stares at Regina in the bed. "Alright, let me get through these emails before she wakes up. She and I need to talk."

"Do you need me to speak with you as a friend right now?"

Furrowing her brow, Emma pulls her phone away from her ear to stare at it. She shakes her head. "No, let's not go there right now. Maybe another time. This issue isn't exactly going to be resolved anytime soon, so we will have plenty more opportunities."

"Very well. I hope the best for you, Ms. Swan. Please get back to me as soon as possible, and feel free to reach out at any point."

"Right. Later." Emma hangs up the phone and shoves it back in her pocket. She watches Regina through the glass before taking a deep breath and entering the room. She slides a chair next to Regina's bed, pops her feet up on the end, and pulls out her phone to check her emails.

An hour later, Emma rubs her eyes and blinks away the fatigue. "A few emails was a drastic understatement there, Gen."

"Emma?"

Emma's head snaps up. She smiles without realizing it at Regina watching her. Taking in Regina's sullen expression, her smile falls, suddenly remembering everything from that morning.

Regina shifts in bed, rolling a bit on her side to get a better look at Emma. "Are you alright?"

Emma scoffs and looks back down at her phone. "Like you care," she mumbles.

"Excuse me?" Regina's irritation grows when Emma ignores her. "Emma, what did you say?"

Snapping her head up, Emma hisses out, "Like. You. Care."

Regina rolls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling, gritting her teeth. "I still love you, Emma."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Whether you want to hear it or not, that is the truth. I will never stop loving you."

"Maybe I want a bit more than that. Maybe I deserve a bit more than that."

Regina clenches her eyes shut and nods. "You do deserve more than that. I understand if you need to find someone else."

Emma springs to her feet, shoving her chair back. "Oh my god. Are we really going there right now?" She shoves her phone in her pocket. "I've had a whole whopping twelve hours to accept that I completely fucked up your emotions for me, and you're already telling me to run off in the night with the next honey that passes? You have to be joking." She shakes her head and steps toward the door.

Regina sits up carefully. "Where are you going?"

"Do you care?"

"Yes, I do care. More than you realize evidently."

Emma holds Regina's gaze. "I need to breathe. Will you be alright?"

Regina nods slowly. "I have no plans on running around the hospital, Emma. Do whatever you need. I will be here if you return."

"When," Emma corrects. "I'm not leaving. I just need a few." Emma leaves the room. "And maybe a damn whiskey."

Regina sighs as she watches Emma leave. Her phone on the table next to her chirps with a text message. She grabs the phone and smiles when she sees Gen's name across the screen.


	62. Chapter 62

In the Rabbit Hole, Emma stares down a glass of whiskey, periodically stirring just to hear the clink of the ice. She jumps when a hand touches her shoulder. Spinning around, she comes face-to-face with Henry.

"Thought I'd find you here," Henry declares quietly.

"Henry," Emma looks around frantically for peering eyes. "You can't be in here."

Gesturing toward the bartender, Henry says, "I told him I was simply looking for you."

"And why are you looking for me?"

"Can we talk?"

Emma sighs and turns back to the bar. "Might as well take a seat then. I fully plan on finishing my drink."

Henry eyeballs the full glass. "Have you started?"

Emma peers at him. "How do you know this isn't my second, third, even fourth glass?"

"Surely you'd be a little less tense by now with four glasses in you."

Defiantly, Emma raises the glass to her lips. Just before taking a sip, she groans at herself and slams the glass back down, pushing it away from her. "Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

Henry focuses on his hands as he rubs his knees. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," Emma sneers.

"Good thing I am then," Henry snaps back.

Emma waves down the bartender. "Two sodas please."

He eyes Henry then pulls out soda bottles and slides them across the bar top to them.

"I don't think he was expecting you to stay," Emma mumbles to Henry with her drink to her lips.

"If he kicks us out then we'll leave."

"We?"

"We."

Emma rolls her eyes. "We're going back to Atlanta."

"When? For how long?"

"You're staying until Spring Break. I… I might stay until then too. I don't know. I haven't decided. I have to go back to deal with legal issues."

Henry tries to catch her gaze. "Ever gonna tell me what that's about?"

"Do yourself a favor, and stop asking."

Henry nods slowly and focuses on his drink. "We're leaving tomorrow, aren't we?"

Emma nods and rolls the bottle between her hands.

"What are you going to tell Mom?"

"I have to go back to deal with all that crap. She'll understand that."

Leaning forward to look at her face again, Henry asks, "And what if you don't come back right away?"

The clink of ice sounds again as Emma contemplates a sip. She stops and looks at Henry. "She'll have to figure out how to understand that too."

"You know it's hard for me not to blame you."

"I've noticed."

Henry takes a deep breath. "But I know that it's not your fault. I've been really immature in all of this-"

"Yep."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he continues, "But I want to be supportive. Of both of you. I can't imagine having true love ripped away from you unjustly."

Emma rests her chin on her shoulder and studies Henry's face. "I love you, kid. No matter what you do or say."

"I know. I'd prefer you like me too," he says with a half-smile.

"Then let's both start acting our age. You have school and a young blossoming love to worry about. It's time to step away from my and your mom's relationship. You can't help us. I'm not sure I can help us. It's just…" Emma sighs and moves her hand from the whiskey to the bottle to take a sip of her soda. "I don't know. Time will tell."

Henry slides off the barstool and kisses Emma's cheek as he slips an arm around her shoulders. His eyes widen when Emma turns in the stool and pulls him into a hug. He peers down at her as best he can when he feels his shoulder dampening from her silent tears.

"I love you, Ma. You'll get through this. One way or another."

Back at the hospital, Emma watches from around the corner as Regina reads a book and checks her phone. She furrows her brow as Regina smiles at something on the screen.

Emma knocks on the door as she enters. "What's got you smiling for the first time in days?"

Regina jumps, dropping her phone in her lap. "Emma. I didn't hear you."

"I'm quiet. What's got you so happy?"

Regina looks between Emma and her phone. "Oh, Gen was simply trying to make me laugh."

Emma stares at her. "Guess it worked."

"Guess so," Regina responds quietly.

Grabbing a chair and sliding close to the bed, Emma continues, "So how is she?"

"She is well. I replenished the retainer account for, I believe, the tenth time."

"Really well then," Emma tries a half-hearted chuckle, but it fails to pass her lips.

Regina's phone dings, and she quickly silences it, not unnoticed by Emma.

Emma clears her throat. "Well, speaking of Gen, I am leaving with Henry tomorrow."

Regina's head snaps up. "I beg your pardon?"

"Tomorrow, Henry and I will be on a plane to good ol' Hartsfield-Jackson."

"When are you coming back?"

Emma stares in her eyes. "Do you care?"

Regina recoils a bit. "Of course I care, Emma. Why would I not?"

Scoffing, Emma shakes her head. "Okay, Regina." She stands up and unnecessarily brushes off her pants.

"Where are you going?" Regina scoots herself up farther on the bed.

"It's late."

"And?"

Emma crosses her arms. "Maybe I'd like to sleep."

"Then sleep here with me, just as we have done at every opportunity."

Emma sucks her teeth. "I don't get the impression you really want me here."

"You do not get to tell me what I want," Regina says sternly.

"Fine," Emma drops her arms and steps closer to the bed. "Then tell me what you want. It's not me. What is it? Who is it? Is it Gen?"

"No. I want you."

"Bullshit."

Regina holds Emma's gaze. "I want my feelings for you back, but I don't know how to make that happen."

"In the meantime, I'm dying inside. My heart is being ripped to shreds. Your mind has made its decision for your heart while my mind and heart have yet to catch up. Do you understand that I can never stop loving you? Do you understand that you are the love of my life? Do you understand that I want nothing more than for all of this to be some sick joke so I can forgive you and we can carry on with our lives?"

"I do understand."

Emma shakes her head. "You really don't, Regina. And at this rate, you never will." She drops her arms to her side. "I won't leave the hospital, but I can't be in here right now. I love you too much."

"Emma, please."

Before exiting the room, Emma stops in the doorway. "Goodnight, Regina." She leaves.

Regina's phone buzzes. She looks at the screen to see another message from Gen. Running a hand through her hair, she tosses her phone on the table next to the bed, disregarding the message.


	63. Chapter 63

Emma and Henry stumble into the apartment, taking a deep breath, relieved to be away from that airport. They both scrunch their noses and look at the kitchen.

Emma swats Henry's arm. "You forgot to take out the trash."

"Me?" Henry smacks her hand away. "What about the fridge?" He swings open the fridge doors and grimaces. "I don't know why you ever buy squash. You don't eat them, and they get nasty."

"I was trying to be healthy. You know, for your mom."

Henry rolls his eyes. "Okay, Ma." He shoulders his bag and heads for his room. "You clean out the fridge then I'll take out the trash."

Emma groans. "Fine." She drops her bag and shuffles the trash can to the fridge with her feet. With a grimace matching Henry's as she looks in the fridge, she uses the tips of her fingers to scoot rotten zucchini and squash from the shelf to the can at her feet. She jumps back and whines when the squash hits the lip of the can and splatters on her.

"Henry," she fusses. "This is gross."

"Not my problem," he calls from the bedroom.

She huffs. To herself, "Then I'm not cleaning off the trash can. Take that little boy." She uses a paper towel to remove the grime from her jeans then scoops out the zucchini and some moldy cheese.

Shuffling through the fridge for more expired food, she uncovers a red apple. Her fingers close around it. Pulling it from the fridge, she lets the door swing shut as her eyes bore holes into the fruit held delicately between her fingers. A single tear rolls down her cheek. Irritated with herself, she wipes away the tear and slams the apple in the trash.

"Your turn," she hollers to Henry, grabbing her bag and moving toward her bedroom.

Henry passes her with a smirk on his face. As the waft hits him, he gags. "Why do we even buy food that expires? And since when do we buy apples?" He pulls on the ties to secure the bag. A hip check knocks him to the side a bit. He looks up to see Emma at his side. "What the hell, Ma?"

Without a word, Emma retrieves the apple from the trash can. She carefully washes it in the sink while Henry's eyes follow the apple in her hand. After drying it off, she centers it on the bar, turning the best part out. She jumps when Henry retrieves the paper towel from her hand.

"I'll be right back, Ma," he says quietly. As he closes the door, he notices Emma still staring at that apple.

The next morning, Emma and Henry lean heavily on the bar, legs dangling from the barstools. Emma drags her finger around the apple while Henry, eyes barely open, shovels cereal in his mouth. He drops his spoon on the counter, causing Emma to jump. She sits up and rubs her eyes.

Henry pushes both spoon and empty bowl into the sink. "I've got to get ready for school."

"Need a ride?" Emma asks absentmindedly.

Henry stares at her. "Um… no? It's walking distance, Ma. They didn't exactly move it."

Emma scratches at her forehead. "Right. Okay, enjoy class. Need me to write a note or anything?"

"It's not high school either, Ma. I've got the documents from the hospital." Henry studies her. "You okay?"

"Tired." Emma takes a gulp of her coffee. She sits up to place it in the sink as well. Her fingers lightly graze the apple as she sits back. "Gonna shower before meeting Gen, so I won't see you until this afternoon."

"Evening," Henry corrects. "I have a feeling I will be bouncing between professors' offices for make-up work."

"Be good, kid," Emma pats his shoulder as she steps past him.

He raises an eyebrow and watches her trudge to her bedroom. Glancing at the counter, his eyes settle on the apple. He reaches for it then stops himself, and instead, he retrieves his phone from his pocket. Pressing on a contact he raises the phone to his ear and waits. "Hi, Mom," he says into the phone as he moves to his bedroom to get ready.

Phone resting in folded hands atop crossed legs, Gen watches the road in front of the café. Emma approaches from behind, and without turning, Gen addresses her, "Good morning, Ms. Swan. I was starting to fear you had grown accustomed to sleeping later."

Emma stops short and stares at the back of Gen's head. She quickly moves to take the seat across from Gen. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Your boots have a distinct sound." Gen keeps her eyes on the road.

Emma glances down at her boots then back up at Gen. "You've been listening to my shoes?"

Gen shifts her eyes to lock onto Emma's. "I find them difficult to ignore. Are you ready?"

"You sure seem to be." Emma leans back in her seat and looks for the waiter. "I could use a coffee first."

Gen looks over her shoulder into the café and holds up one finger to the barista. After a nod of acknowledgment, she turns back to Emma. "The double shot of espresso should do you well."

"Who are you?" When Gen simply raises an eyebrow, Emma continues, "You and I have been here only twice now. There's no way you could have come here enough times for the barista to know your order."

"Oh, never take a barista for granted, dear."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Whatever. She probably just thinks you're hot."

"Is she wrong?" Gen challenges.

With a chuckle, Emma checks out Gen. "No. No, she's not."

Gen smirks when the barista hands delivers the drink to her. Gen winks at her and hands her a ten dollar bill.

As she leaves, Emma laughs. "You're buying her affection too, I see."

Gen slides the drink over to Emma. "She makes a great cup for the right price."

With a fading chuckle, Emma raises the glass to her lips. Her eyes widen at the small sip. "Holy crap. It's so good." Gen's smirk and light shrug cause Emma to chuckle. "You are rather proud of yourself."

"I have yet to hear a reason why I should feel otherwise." Gen checks the time on her watch. "We are due in fifteen minutes."

The cup stops at Emma's lips as she pauses to sigh. "And there's the real world I've been missing." Rolling her eyes, Emma tips the mug up to drink the espresso.


	64. Chapter 64

In Storybrooke, Regina sits on the edge of the bed and texts Emma: _Wishing you the best._ She then texts Gen: _Please take good care of her. Earn your pay ;)_

Emma responds: _Waiting in lobby. Thanks. Later_

Gen responds shortly after: _I always earn my pay ;)_

Regina smiles at the phone. She texts Gen: _Be good and show them exactly what you're made of._

Gen responds: _I am rarely good. You know that well._

Regina bites her lip and types: _I seem to have a few memories of that…_

When Mary Margaret enters the room, Regina quickly tucks the phone in her pocket. She smiles at Regina. "Ready for PT?"

"The sooner I can get out of here, the better." She holds her hand out to Mary Margaret who takes her hand and elbow to help Regina balance as she slides off the bed.

Mary Margaret moves Regina's hand to the edge of the bed so Regina can steady herself and goes for the wheelchair.

"Not today," Regina states with conviction. "Progress needs to be made, and Whale's process is too slow. I'm fairly certain at this point that he is holding me back purely for the money. I did recently reject his budget increase, after all."

With a slight smile, Mary Margaret takes Regina's hand and arm again, slowly walking at her side. They move down the hallway at a slow but steady pace, Regina focusing on her breathing and steps.

Walking down the hallway from the other direction, Whale stops just outside the physical therapy suite, staring at Regina. "Someone must be feeling better today."

"I cannot live under your thumb forever, Whale. As much as you would like that."

Whale raises his eyebrow and backs away from the entrance as they approach. "Enjoy your therapy today, Madame Mayor." He stalks past them without another glance.

Mary Margaret glances over her shoulder at him. "He's a peach today."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I have yet to find a reason to respect that man."

"Well he hasn't killed you, and you are making progress."

Regina stops walking and studies her face. She raises her eyebrows and purses her lips. "I suppose." After giving her a light gesture, Mary Margaret assists her into the room.

Pacing in the lobby of the court room, Emma gnaws at her fingernails, glancing at the judge's chamber doors every few seconds.

Gen watches her closely. "Do you expect the door to open because you wish it? There is a strict time slot, Ms. Swan. Respect that and take a seat."

Emma stares at her, finger in her mouth, then huffs and plops down in a chair next to her. "I hate this."

"I am aware."

"Yeah, well, you're used to this crap."

"That I am." Gen keeps her eye on Emma, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap. She glances at her phone, surprised to see the screen blank, then slips it into her briefcase.

Emma pulls out her phone, checking it for nothing in particular and shoves it back in her pocket.

"Silence the device."

"What?"

Gen glances down at her pocket. "Silence the device," she repeats.

Emma follows her eyes. "My phone?"

"That would be a device."

Sucking her teeth, Emma yanks her phone out of her pocket and shows Gen that it is already on silent.

Gen nods and glances at her watch. "Only a few more minutes, Ms. Swan. Are you prepared?"

Emma laughs derisively. "Not in the slightest. Are you?"

"Of course."

"Then that's all that matters."

The door opens, and Emma jumps to her feet.

Gen touches her arm. "Sit, Ms. Swan. The previous appointment is simply departing." She nods to the group leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

Emma releases a sigh that is a mixture of relief and irritation as she plops back down in the chair, slumping.

"Sit up," Gen chastises her.

Emma scoffs. "Alright, Mom. Geez." She makes a grand gesture of sitting up. Her face falls when the elevator dings and off steps the HR team from her work.

Gen glances over her shoulder. She stands to greet the lawyer, Emma watching on with wide eyes.

The door opens again. A secretary steps out and gestures for them to enter the chambers.

Emma waits for Gen to come to her side. Gen touches her shoulder. "I have a great deal of experience, Emma. You are the victim in this situation. Trust me."

Emma stands up and half-smiles at Gen. "I do trust you. For some reason I feel like I should trust you completely."

Gen smiles. "I will do my best not to challenge that trust then. Shall we commence?"

Emma takes a deep breath and nods, letting Gen lead her into the chambers.


	65. Chapter 65

**A/N: Short tease chapter cause I'm evil**

Feet propped up on the couch, TV volume far too loud for a small apartment, Emma relaxes on the couch with a plate of sushi on her chest. When the front door opens, she doesn't bother turning her head and instead gestures to the fridge with her chopsticks.

"Sushi's in the fridge, kid," she says around a mouthful of rice and seaweed.

Henry takes a moment to absorb the scene around him before dropping his bag next to a briefcase and moving to the fridge. Inside, he finds a roll for him with a pair of chopsticks resting neatly along the plate. He shrugs and joins his mom in the living room with his own plate of sushi.

"Everything okay, Ma?" he asks, settling in the chair adjacent her.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

Henry looks down at his sushi and glances at the action movie on the TV. "We haven't had sushi in… a long time."

Emma shrugs and puts another piece of the roll in her mouth. "Had a hankering."

"You always said sushi's stupidly expensive and refused to buy it."

Emma lowers her plate and looks at him for the first time. "Can't a woman want some fish every once in a while?"

Henry throws up a hand in defeat. "Alright, alright. Sushi, yum." He pops a piece in his mouth. "How did today go?"

"Great," Emma responds.

Henry stares at her, expecting more, but when she simply takes another bite, he rolls his eyes and focuses on his food. He jumps when Emma's bedroom door opens next to him.

Emma looks up and smiles. "Hey, Gen."

Henry snaps his head around with wide eyes to see Gen in the doorway. "Um, hi?"

Gen nods to Henry. "Good evening, young Mr. Swan-Mills." She turns to Emma. "Ms. Swan-"

Emma shakes her head. "I think at this point, you can call me Emma."

Gen smiles. "Very well, Emma. I plan to retire to my apartment for the evening."

"Already tired?" Emma teases.

Gen lets out a light chuckle. "The settlement is tomorrow. Shall I meet you at the café?"

Emma winks. "Count on it."

"Goodnight to you both." Gen grabs her briefcase and exits the apartment.

Henry watches her go then snaps his head back around to Emma, anger evident on his face. "What the hell was that?" When Emma ignores him, he presses on. "What about Mom?"

"That is none of your business, remember?" Emma snaps back. They stare at each other until Henry concedes.

"Alright, I'm sorry. None of my business." Henry sighs and turns in his seat a bit, facing the TV more. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Henry," Emma warns.

"I'm done. Don't worry." He shakes his head a bit and focuses on his food.

Emma finishes off her last piece of sushi with a smile on her face.


	66. Chapter 66

Silently sitting across from Archie in his office and looking rather displeased, Regina stares at the wall.

"Regina?" Archie asks quietly.

Regina slowly turns her head to look at him. "Archie."

He sits up straighter. "You called me to speak, yet you haven't said anything. What did you want to tell me?"

"How about you do your job and ask me questions?"

"This works both ways, Regina. We need to communicate, have a give and take here."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Just ask your questions, cricket."

Archie sighs and adjusts his glasses. "Very well. How is your therapy?"

Regina huffs. "Small talk? Fine. Therapy is going well. I am improving. Whale plans to discharge me tomorrow as long as I maintain outpatient physical therapy."

"That's great." Archie smiles at her, but Regina's icy expression does not change. "I'm sure things will be easier once you are home. Will Emma be back to help?"

Regina looks down at her lap and smooths out her pants. "I do not believe so. Ms. Swan has business to attend to in Atlanta. It appears she may be staying a while after that as well."

"How do you feel about her leaving?"

Frustrated with herself for picking at her pants, Regina flattens her hands and looks up. "I feel slightly abandoned; however, I have no right to feel that way."

"Why is that?"

"I have not been very easy to deal with. She asked for my heart, and just when I gave it to her, it got ripped away again."

Archie crosses his legs and leans back. "That isn't your fault."

"No, that part is not my fault. Where my mind has been lately, that may not be my fault either, but… I am unsure what to think."

"And where has your mind been?"

Regina stares at him, debating how to answer the question. "Elsewhere."

"Regina, is this something you want to work through?" Archie sets his pen and paper down, hoping to ease Regina's mind a bit.

Taking note as Archie hoped, Regina glances between her file on the desk and Archie's eyes. She props a hand on the arm rest and relaxes a bit. "Emma and I have not spoken about what this means for our relationship. With that, I am not being entirely faithful."

Archie furrows his brow. "You've been in the hospital. Has someone been visiting you?"

Regina scoffs at him. "No. I have more class than that, thank you. There is someone with whom I have been communicating."

"And?"

"And some of the things being said could be considered a bit too flirtatious."

"Has there been any… propositioning?

Regina rolls her eyes. "How delicate of you. No, we have not had any inappropriate discussions; however, the flirting has become excessive and could easily shift from implicit to explicit."

"I see," Archie says slowly. "You know what needs to happen here, Regina. What is your plan of action?"

With a deep breath, Regina drops her eyes to the floor. "I am rather uncertain how to proceed." When Archie does not respond, Regina groans to herself and shoots him a piercing glare. "Do you not at least have some advice?"

Archie uncrosses his legs and scoots to the edge of his chair. "Listen, Regina, you have a decision to make. And this will prove to be a very important decision."

Growing impatient, Regina waves him on. "Which is?"

"You have to choose between Emma and this other person."

"But Emma was taken away from me. What am I supposed to do about that?"

Archie puts up his hand to stop her. "Yes, your emotions were taken away, but there is no evidence to suggest this is permanent or that you cannot obtain new emotions. You need to reflect and decide if Emma is worth taking the hard and painful path of reclaiming emotions or if the easy path of following your lust is where you want to take your life. Be careful, Regina. This could be one of the most impactful decisions you make in your life." Archie leans back again.

Regina grips the armrest so hard she breaks it. The sudden movement jolts her out of her slight daze. She mumbles an apology as a small purple cloud washes over the arm rest which is repaired once the cloud dissipates.

Archie stands. "Take your time, Regina. That decision does not need to be made right now, and it does not even need to be voiced to anyone but yourself. Be careful with your heart and those of the people you surround yourself with."

Regina stares at him then nods. She takes his extended arm and slowly stands up.

With her on his arm, Archie helps her to the door. He smiles at Mary Margaret on the other side of the door. "Thank you for waiting, Snow. Regina will need a bit of rest. Perhaps Whale can give her time before therapy?"

Mary Margaret smiles at him. "I'll make sure of it." She takes Regina's arm and helps her out to the car. "Do you want to talk?"

"Not in the slightest," Regina says through gritted teeth. She glances down at Mary Margaret and sighs. "Thank you for asking."

Mary Margaret helps her in the car. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

"I'm not sure why," Regina says quietly.

"We spent far too long up in arms. We both love Emma. We both love Henry. And we both love Storybrooke. We are on the same team, regardless of anything in the past. At this point, I know that you would protect me and my family, so I will do the same for you and yours." She smiles at Regina then closes the door.

Regina stares out the window as she absorbs Mary Margaret's words, unable to look at Mary Margaret when she gets in the driver's seat.


	67. Chapter 67

At the café, Gen and Emma sit at the table they had made a habit of frequenting. Emma smiles as the barista approaches the table, but that smile quickly turns to a smirk when she notices the woman leaning over Gen's shoulder to set down the mugs. She holds back a laugh as Gen discreetly licks her lips trying to maintain her composure with the woman's breasts against her shoulder.

Gen pulls a twenty from her pocket and holds it in front of her chest. She grins playfully at Emma while she lightly wags it for the barista to take. When the barista is leaned across her, Gen looks up, their faces close to each other. "Thank you, dear," she says seductively.

The woman blushes and barely gets out, "Any time." She grabs the twenty and slips it out of Gen's fingers but lingers for a moment, staring at Gen.

Gen winks causing the barista to blush again. Clearing her throat, she straightens up and excuses herself from the table, shuffling back to the interior of the café.

Once she is out of earshot, Emma busts out a laugh. "You just dominated that girl. She thought she had the upper hand there for a good solid thirty seconds."

Cockily, Gen raises an eyebrow and shrugs just one shoulder. "Baby gay. She will learn. That was bold, however."

"I'd say." Emma shakes her head as a few last chuckles leave her.

"Want to talk about last night?" Gen picks up her espresso and settles back.

Grabbing her own cup, Emma slouches in the chair and crosses her ankles. "What's to talk about?"

"Henry, for one."

"Kid has to learn to mind his own business."

Over her cup, Gen watches Emma swirl her coffee. "You feel this is the best way to encourage that change?"

Emma shrugs. "Sure. Why not?"

"Why feed the beast?" Gen watches Emma sit tightlipped. "You do understand what he thinks at this point, correct?"

"All he knows is what he saw. Should I really be all that concerned what he thinks about it?"

"You are being rather crass."

Emma rolls her eyes. "What does it matter?"

Gen sets down her mug and folds her hands in her lap. "Tell me what you are getting out of this." When Emma's only response is clearing her throat and nursing her espresso, Gen continues, "You have some sort of expectation here. What are you hoping is the outcome?"

With a frustrated groan, Emma rests her cup on her stomach. "Maybe I'm hoping he can't keep his mouth shut."

Gen picks up her cup again. "You want him to tell Regina. That is certainly an interesting tactic."

Emma runs her finger around the rim of the mug. "I want her to care. Or hurt. Or something. Anything really."

"This may not be the best way to do that."

Lifting her eyes, Emma asks, "You don't think us sleeping together would hurt her?"

"Emma, we didn't sleep together."

"Well, I know that, but Henry doesn't. That's exactly what he assumed and I didn't deny when you came out of the room last night."

"I am aware." Gen takes a long sip of her drink. "Hurting her is not going to make her care about you. Perhaps you need some time away. You may consider reminding yourself who is Emma Swan."

Emma looks back down into her mug, just staring as if she will see more than the black liquid sloshing a bit from her shaking hands. "I miss her."

"A sentiment we share," Gen says more to herself than Emma. Gen straightens up and sets down the mug. "Emma, the settlement is over. You will have the pay in two weeks. There is no reason for you to find a new job for quite some time unless you feel so compelled. I recommend you take time to yourself: no Henry, no Regina, no Storybrooke, and possibly no Atlanta."

"What the heck am I supposed to do then?" Emma glances up at Gen.

"Be Emma Swan, and consider traveling along the journey." Gen stands and gathers her things. "You have my number should you need me. Good luck, Ms. Swan."

Emma furrows her brow when Gen turns to enter the café. "Where are you going?"

Gen smirks. "Teach a baby gay a thing or two." She winks and saunters towards the counter where the barista watches her with wide eyes.

Emma chuckles and shakes her head. "She's gonna kill that girl." She finishes her drink with one last swig, slams the mug on the table harder than necessary as she stands, and then, with one last glance at Gen leaning against the counter, turns to leave.

Pulling out her phone, Emma texts Henry: _Hey kid. Meet me at home after school. Got some stuff to talk about. Love you._

Almost immediately, she receives a response: _Whats going on? Is mom ok?_

Emma rolls her eyes at herself for sending a vague enough text to freak out Henry. _She's fine kid. I'm fine. Youre fine. No stress. Just wanna chat._

Henry responds quickly: _Be home in an hour_

On her way to the apartment, Emma plays the last few hours over in her head again: Gen's advice to find herself; the settlement with work; her next steps in life now that she is officially unemployed yet somewhat well endowed.

Once inside, she plops on the couch and looks around the apartment, absorbing her surroundings, contemplating what leaving really means. The apple on the counter catches her eye. She turns on the couch and rests her head on her hand, staring at the apple.

The door swings open, causing her to jump. She looks up to see Henry. "I thought you said an hour."

Henry glances at his phone. "I mean, it's been like fifty minutes. That's pretty close. Need ten more minutes or something?"

Emma furrows her brow then pulls out her own phone to verify the time. She narrows her eyes at the apple then looks back to Henry. "Come on in, Kid. I want to talk."

Slowly dropping his backpack, Henry keeps his eyes on her as he moves toward the chair catty corner her. "What's going on? Did something bad happen today? Something wrong with Gen? Mom? You?"

Emma puts up a hand to stop him. "Henry, relax. Everyone is fine. Today went as well as possible for me. Here soon I really don't have to worry about things."

Henry nods slowly. "Okay, that's good. Is that what you want to talk about?"

"Not entirely."

Henry groans. "Would you please just tell me what the hell-"

"I never slept with Gen."

"What?"

Emma looks in his eyes. "Henry, Gen was using the restroom last night after we had a drink here. I never slept with her."

Henry stares at her, confusion slowly setting in. "But why did you let me believe that you…"

Emma shrugs. "I was being foolish. Part of me was testing whether you would uphold your promise while the other half was hoping you would spill to your mom."

"Seriously?" Henry shifts in his chair and huffs, trying to fight off his anger.

"I'm sorry, Kid. That wasn't fair of me."

"So that's what you wanted to tell me?" Henry glances at her from the corner of his eyes, but focuses mainly on the wall ahead of him.

"Partly." Emma waits for him to turn, but he refuses to look at her fully. "Henry, I'm going to take off for a bit."

That gets his attention. He snaps his head around. "What?"

"I need to get away. I need some time to myself."

"What about me?"

Emma offers a small smile. "You're 19. Think you can handle the apartment by yourself for the rest of the semester?"

Henry stares at her then slowly looks around. "I mean, I guess, yeah. When?"

"Soon. I'm not entirely sure. I haven't gotten that far yet."

"And Mom?"

"Your grandmother said she's being released soon. She promised to keep an eye on her. You'll be going back in a couple of weeks to visit. Just call a cab. Your ticket will be waiting on you."

"So…" Henry fidgets with his fingers. "Should I get a job or something?"

Emma laughs. "Think I'm gonna leave you broke, Kid?" She laughs again when Henry shrugs. "Don't worry. We will make sure you are well taken care of. You're almost done with the semester. No need to have the undo stress of adding a job. You really want to work, get a job in Storybrooke over the summer."

Henry nods. "When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. When I feel ready. I have a lot to work through, and so does your mom."

Nodding slowly again, Henry gets up and moves next to Emma. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She wraps him in a hug.

They lightly hug each other, chins on the other's shoulder, and stare in opposite directions, thinking about the suddenly wide open future lying in front of them.


	68. Chapter 68

Regina's eyes snap open. She sits up quickly and then immediately regrets the decision, clenching her eyes shut and holding her head. Groaning, she lowers her hand and absorbs her surroundings. She's home, in her study, laying on the couch. Thinking through the night, she remembers being discharged from the hospital after physical therapy and a hefty amount of complaining from Whale. Mary Margaret helped her home. The stairs were too much effort, so she set up in the study.

An outfit resides on the table. Regina takes a deep breath and turns on the couch to sit up properly. She takes a deep breath and stares at the clothes. Sitting up straight, she flicks her wrist and is enveloped in a thin cloud of purple. When the cloud dissipates, the clothes are still on the table. Regina looks down and groans, realizing all she managed to do was get her other clothes off. She plops back on the couch, naked, and sighs.

Sitting up, she tries one more time. This time she finds herself in her pants but nothing else. She leans forward and grabs the t-shirt, bra, and underwear from the table, setting them on the seat cushion next to her. She lifts her ass to take off her pants, but stops and glances at the underwear. She shrugs and pulls her pants back up. "Overrated anyways," she grumbles as she tosses the underwear back on the table. She quickly finishes dressing.

A knock sounds on the door. Regina glances over her shoulder at the closed door. Assuming Mary Margaret is there to check on her, Regina calls out "Come in."

The door slides open, and Regina's eyes go wide as Gen steps into the study. "Should I assume you missed me?" Gen asks with a raised eyebrow. She leans on the doorjamb with her arms crossed.

Regina looks her from head to toe, surprised to see Gen out of a pantsuit and in dark blue jeans and a tight low-cut tee. "How did you get in here? Or rather why are you here? Is Emma here?"

Gen smiles and moves into the room, propping up on the armrest and facing Regina. "Case is closed, Regina. Emma won."

"Oh." Regina looked down for a minute then furrowed her brow and looked back up at Gen. "Is Emma here with you?"

"No, I came of my own accord."

"Where is Emma?"

Gen puts up both of her hand. "Exploring. I did not ask, I merely suggested."

Regina shifts to face Gen more. "You suggested?"

Gen smiles. "I thought she could use some time to herself. She certainly has the means to provide for herself in a… higher capacity."

"Thanks to you," Regina says quietly.

"And you," Gen adds.

Regina shifts to lean back on the couch. She moves to cross her legs then winces and stops.

Gen glances at the table and sees Regina's underwear. "I seem to remember a certain time holed away in a hotel room when you went commando."

Regina snaps her head around to Gen and rolls her eyes at the smirk on her face. "Why are you here?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out." Gen slides down the arm rest to sit next to Regina.

"If you cannot tell, Gen, I am not up for much." She closes her eyes and rests her head back on the couch.

Propping her arm up over Regina's head, Gen leans closer. "I can be gentle."

Regina's eyes shoot open. "You are being awfully forward right now, Ms. Roland." She turns her head to Gen, their faces only inches apart. She glances down at Gen's lips then back up to her eyes.

Gen smirks and quickly leans forward, taking Regina's lip between her teeth. She drags her tongue across the lip between her teeth and releases it. Moving her lips across Regina's jawline, she husks in Regina's ear, "Is this too forward?" She smiles when Regina's hands move up to rest just above her breasts, but she frowns when she is suddenly shoved against the armrest.

"Yes," Regina says through gritted teeth. "That is most certainly too forward."

Gen straightens up. "You didn't give me the impression that you would mind."

Regina glances down at her phone. "That was a mistake."

"What makes you so sure?" Gen moves forward again and places her hand on Regina's thigh. When Regina doesn't immediately swat her away, she scoots closer and slides her hand up Regina's thigh slowly.

Regina closes her eyes and clenches her jaw.

Gen leans forward and kisses Regina's neck. She drags her tongue up her neck to her earlobe then suddenly falls through a cloud of purple smoke. She catches herself on the couch and stares at the suddenly empty place beneath her.

One hand on her head and one arm wrapped around her stomach as she leans over, Regina tries to catch her breath and calm her nerves from the surge of power. "No," she presses out with a harsh breath.

Gen stands up and looks between the couch and Regina with wide eyes. "What the fuck was that?"

Regina's eyebrows shoot up and she stands tall. "Losing your composure a bit, dear?"

Clearing her throat, Gen moves around the couch to stand in front of Regina. "So this is what you meant when you said your town had an affluence for magic. You seem to have left out some details." Gen rakes her eyes over Regina's body with an arm still around her stomach. "And you seem a bit too weak for that magic."

"Not too weak to say no," Regina hisses out.

Gen rolls her eyes and takes a step back. "I am not challenging your no, Ms. Mills. You simply did not provide one until now."

"You were taking advantage of me," Regina challenges.

Gen releases a single laugh. "Hardly." She pulls out her phone from her back pocket and waves it in Regina's face. "You seem to have forgotten the invitations."

Regina swats her hand away. "I told you that was a mistake."

"So," Gen takes a step forward, seductively. "If I slipped my hand in your pants, you're telling me I wouldn't find wet lips?"

Regina swallows. "I wish I could say that."

Gen steps forward and hooks her fingers in Regina's waistband, pulling her close. Their lips nearly touching, Gen husks, "What do you want, Regina? What do you really want?"

Regina closes her eyes. She runs her hands up Gen's arms and fists the shirt close to her neck. Leaning forward, she whispers in Gen's ear, "Emma." She shoves Gen back.

Gen smiles and laughs derisively. "Good luck with that, Ms. Mills."

"I'll take my chances," she responds, crossing her arms.

Putting her hands on her hips, Gen sucks her teeth and stares at Regina. Finally, she drops her arms and straightens up. "Well Ms. Mills, it has been a pleasure working with you again. I wish you the best in your recovery." She turns and heads toward the exit.

Regina scoffs and drops her arms. "You sure got over me fast."

Gen stops, her hand on the open door. She looks over her shoulder. "I'm a lawyer, Ms. Mills. I know how to put on a charade." She leaves, pulling the door shut behind her.

With a heavy sigh, Regina runs her hands through her hair. She moves back to the couch and looks down at her phone. Picking it up, she opens Emma's messages. She stares at it, running her fingers just above the keypad, unsure what to say if anything at all. Groaning, she drops the phone on the table. She hears Gen's car start up and drive away. Sitting back up, she grabs her phone and types a simple text to Emma: _Hello, Emma. Please be safe._


	69. Chapter 69

**A/N: Sorry, guys. Things have been crazy with divorce and visiting family (finally!). Also, my girlfriend is extremely distracting. And don't act surprised that I have a girlfriend already. I am a lesbian after all :) Enjoy! I will do my best to find more time, especially now that I'm back in town.**

Arms wrapped loosely around her knees, Emma sits on the beach in shorts and a beater. She watches the water and fiddles with the sand between her toes as the sun sets over the horizon. Her phone buzzes on the chair behind her. Not taking her eyes off the water, she reaches back and grabs the phone to answer it without looking at the caller id.

"Hello?"

"Emma."

Emma's face pales at Regina's voice. "Um… Can I- Are you- Hi?" Standing up, she wraps an arm around her chest and keeps her eyes on the setting sun.

"How are you?"

"Fine." Emma pulls the phone from her ear, checking the caller id as if she doesn't have every sound that comes from Regina's lips memorized. She sighs and puts the phone to her ear again. "You?"

"I miss you."

With a heavy sigh, Emma drops her hand to her hip. "Okay."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know, Regina. Whenever it feels right."

"Where are you?"

Emma kicks the sand under her feet. "The beach."

"That sounds nice."

"It is." Emma nods slowly and watches the sun disappear. She grabs her flip flops and heads up the beach to her room sitting at the top of the private beach. "Is there something you needed?"

Regina clears her throat. "I wanted to check on you. I was worried. Henry refused to talk to me about you."

"Finally the kid listens to me."

The line remains silent for a moment. "I understand. Do you need anything?"

"Nope." Emma drops her shoes at the door and plops on the bed. "You?"

"No, I am managing."

"Okay, well, is there anything you need to talk about cause I need to hop in the shower before grabbing dinner?"

"I suppose not. Have a good evening, Miss Swan."

Emma cringes when the line goes silent. "Have a good evening, Miss Swan," Emma mocks. She sits up and rolls her eyes at herself, dropping her phone on the bed. "Can't even enjoy the damn beach," she grumbles as she trudges toward the bathroom, peeling her clothes off as she walks.

In the familiar mayoral mansion on Mifflin Street, Regina stands in her study with her arms wrapped around her torso. She rests her phone on the table and picks up her cider instead. Moving over to the couch, she carefully sits on the sofa with her eyes focused on a picture of Emma and her resting on the mantle.

Her phone chirps with a text and she rushes over to the desk to check the message. Seeing Mary Margaret's name across the screen, she releases a defeated sigh and allows her head to hang slightly as she moves back to reclaim her position on the couch.

Ignoring the text, she drops her phone on the table and crosses her legs. After a long sip of her drink, she closes her eyes and rests her head in her palm. "Emma, please come back to me."

"It's gonna take more than that."

Regina spills her drink when she jumps at the new voice in the room. She turns to see Henry sliding the doors open and entering the room.

"Henry," she breathes out and stands to greet him.

He walks over and hugs her, avoiding the wet spot on her side. "Hi, Mom."

Pointing at her phone, Henry states, "Gram texted you that she had dropped me at the door."

Regina follows Henry finger to the phone. "Perhaps ignoring her text messages is not always wise."

Henry chuckles lightly. "Still avoiding her?"

"She can be exhausting at times."

Henry smiles and hugs her once more before pulling back. He leads her to the couch. After they sit, facing each other, Henry offers a half-smile. "Mom, you need to be patient."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I am being patient. Every day she is over here helping me, and I am perfectly polite and appreciative."

"I meant with Ma."

After holding his gaze for a moment, Regina folds her hands in her lap and sits back against the arm rest. "You do not feel that I am being patient with your mother?"

"Well, you're not. Didn't you just get off the phone with her?"

Regina glances at her phone then up at Henry. "You are not wrong."

Henry scoots closer and puts his hand on top of Regina's. "You need to give her space."

"She's at the beach, Henry. I would say that is space enough."

Henry sighs. "Fine, then time. Space and time."

Stiffening up a bit, Regina responds, "I was simply ensuring that she is well and safe."

Henry pats her hand and scoots back. "Do you want Ma back?"

Regina perks up. "Yes, more than anything."

"Then you have to respect her wishes. Give her some time. You need time as well. There is no way all of your emotions are suddenly back in check."

Clearing her throat quietly, Regina lifts her chin. "What makes you so sure?"

Henry stands up and straightens out his jeans. Leaning down, he kisses Regina on the head and smiles. "Mom, I know you love Ma, and I know that not so long ago you were in love with Ma."

"I am still in love with her."

Henry shakes her head. "I think you want to be in love. Take time to rebuild your feelings, Mom. For all of us. I love you." He turns and leaves Regina in the room by herself.

Looking down at her phone, she quickly wipes a tear from her cheek. "I do love you, Emma Swan," she whispers to the phone as if Emma can still hear her.


	70. Chapter 70

By the end of a week of reclusiveness, Regina calls Mary Margaret and awaits her arrival. All week, she took to caring for herself and managing her own physical therapy. By two days in, she realized her ambition may have been a bit too extreme, but she needed the time to herself. The only person permitted access to the home was Henry who had just taken a plane back to Atlanta for finals.

The doorbell rings, and Regina checks herself in the mirror with a sigh, not sure how ready she really is for Emma's enthusiastic mother. The doorbell rings a second time, earning an eye roll from Regina. "How charming," she mocks.

The door opens to a smiling Mary Margaret and David with his hand hovering over the doorbell.

Regina raises her eyebrow to David. "A bit impatient, are we?"

David drops his hand. "We were just concerned about you."

"And you thought repeatedly ringing the bell would alleviate your concern?"

David glances at Mary Margaret then Regina and back again. Mary Margaret smiles at him and tugs on his sleeve as she steps toward the entrance, waiting for Regina to step back and let them enter. With an unnecessarily audible sigh, Regina gestures for them to pass.

Mary Margaret squeezes Regina's forearm, ignoring Regina's accompanying glare. "We're so glad you called, Regina. How are you? Is everything okay? How were you with the exercises? What can we do? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"Interesting," Regina states slowly while looking between David and Mary Margaret.

"What's interesting?" Mary Margaret asks glancing at David as well.

"Suddenly it's become we." Regina studies David, humming, then nods for them to follow her into the living room where Mary Margaret set up her equipment after Regina discharged.

"Okay," Mary Margaret starts. "Do you want David to help you stretch?"

Regina looks David up and down. "Not particularly." When David releases a sigh of relief, Regina chuckles to herself. "But he'll do just fine." She smirks at his horrified expression and then laughs at Mary Margaret's little pat of encouragement.

David slowly approaches as Regina takes a seat on the couch, stretching out her legs across the cushions.

Spreading the therapy papers out on the table, Mary Margaret shakes her head and smiles listening to Regina bark orders at David. At the end of a stability rail, a blanket lays bunched up. She picks up the blanket with the intention of folding and placing it back on the chair where it had been residing for the last two weeks so Regina could relax after the exercises. As she shakes it out, a picture falls to the floor. She bends down, scooping up the picture to examine it. The picture is one she had never seen of Emma standing behind Regina, her arms wrapped around Regina's waist and chin on her shoulder. Mary Margaret can see the happiness radiating from them. She squeezes her eyes shut, fighting a tear at the loss both women, and her daughter in particular, must be facing.

Regina snatches the picture from Mary Margaret, quickly but gently wiping a tear from the image. She gasps when she feels the other woman's arms wrap around her. Taking a moment to debate whether she's willing to return the embrace, she decides against it and shrugs her off. "That's quite enough, thank you."

"Regina, you don't always have to be so strong."

Regina runs her fingers over the picture. "If I was strong, this never would have happened."

David clears his throat. "I was- um- just thinking that- um- maybe since… you know- um-"

"Typically it is best to gather one's thoughts before speaking." Regina turns and places a hand on her hip. "Would you like to try again?"

"Well, did- um- did you get much shopping done this- this last week?"

Regina looks over her shoulder at Mary Margaret who is staring at David, looking just as confused as Regina. "No." She turns back to David. "Why?"

David rubs the back of his neck. "I can stay and help, or I could go restock your pantry, or check the lights in the house, or mow the lawn, or-"

"I have a gardener."

"Right. Of course. But I could…"

Regina rolls her eyes. "There is a list for the store on my desk. Go make yourself useful."

David smiles and tries not to sprint out of the room.

Turning back to Mary Margaret, Regina glares at her. "Why did you bring him?"

"He wanted to help."

"No, he didn't."

Mary Margaret shrugs. "Okay, no, he didn't. Can I ask you something?"

"I asked you something first."

"Are you planning on getting back with Emma?"

Feeling her fists clenching, Regina quickly sets down the picture on a side table. "That's none of your business."

Mary Margaret rolls her eyes. "Regina."

Taking a seat, Regina carefully crosses her legs, still not finding the movement as easy as it once was. "What do you want to hear?"

"The truth." Mary Margaret sits in the chair adjacent Regina.

"Why should I discuss this with you?"

"She's my daughter, and maybe one day you will be too."

Regina snorts. "I will never be your daughter."

"Fine," Mary Margaret sighs. "Maybe one day we will be even more of a family."

Regina shifts. "Maybe. I still don't see how that equates to this discussion."

Moving over to the couch next to Regina, Mary Margaret continues. "Regina, stop being so cold. I know you're hurt, but so is Emma, and if you don't get past your own pain and stubbornness at least a little, you can't pull her back in."

Regina stares at Mary Margaret. "What if she doesn't want to be pulled back in?"

Mary Margaret places a hand on Regina's knee but quickly recoils it at the glare she receives. "She's in love with you, Regina. Trust me, she wants to be pulled back in."

"What if I try and she rejects me?"

"What if you never try and you both spend a lifetime broken hearted without your true love?"

"True love," Regina rolls the phrase off her tongue, having been too afraid to explore that notion with Emma. She looks back at the picture and takes a deep breath. "Let's get through these exercises. I need to call Henry afterward."

Mary Margaret stands and offers a hand to Regina who begrudgingly accepts the help in standing. "We can still talk about this."

Regina shakes her head. "I need to focus on regaining my strength as soon as possible. I spent a week mulling over Emma, and you see how far that got me. Please. I'd rather you help me focus."

Mary Margaret nods. "Whatever you need, Regina. Emma isn't going anywhere. She'll still be-"

"Snow," Regina snaps.

Throwing up her hands, Mary Margaret nods toward the stability rail. "One-legged squats, then."

Regina takes a deep breath, one last glance at the picture, then starts on her exercises, Mary Margaret keeping a close eye on her.


	71. Chapter 71

Three weeks later, Henry is spending the summer off school with Regina in Storybrooke while Emma maintains her temporary residence at the private beach resort…

Her sun glasses neglected on the table next to her, Emma squints at the book in her hand as she leans back in a beach chair just outside her room. She glances down at her phone on her stomach when the ringing catches her attention. Henry's name and picture appear on her screen. She drops the book between her legs and picks up the phone.

"Hey, Kid."

"Hey, Ma," Henry responds excitedly. "So, um, interested in a visitor?"

Emma sits up. "Henry, what have you done?"

"Chill, Ma. I figured maybe you're a little lonely."

"So?"

Henry chuckles softly. "I'll be there in an hour. Can we catch lunch?"

Emma releases a heavy sigh of relief. "Yeah, sure Kid. I'd love to eat lunch. I'll meet you at the restaurant near the entrance, okay?"

"See you then. Love you, Ma."

"Love you too, Kid." Emma smiles and lays back, resting the phone on her stomach. "Thought that kid was being sneaky again," she laughs to herself.

Having slipped shorts and a beater over her bathing suit, Emma leans against a column in the resort entrance at the edge of the restaurant, waiting for Henry. She checks her time on the phone. "An hour and fifteen. Kid must be mine." With a sigh, she shoves the phone back in her pocket and stares at the floor as she scuffs her flip flop along the tile.

"Ma!" Henry barrels down the hall and crashes into her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Emma laughs and returns the hug. "You haven't hugged me like this since you were a kid."

Pulling back, Henry smiles at her and shrugs. "I missed you."

She rustles his hair. "I missed you too, Henry."

They stare at each other for a few minutes until Henry leans past Emma at the restaurant. "Hungry?"

"Oh, right. Come on." She grabs his arm and leads him into the restaurant.

They grab a table in the center. Henry slides a chair out for Emma to take a seat, her back to the entrance of the restaurant.

She smiles up at him. "Is your mother turning you into a gentleman?"

Henry shrugs and sits across from her. "Mom has her expectations, especially now that I'm a 'man'." Henry uses air quotes to emphasize his point.

Emma swats his hand. "Be nice." She buries her head in a menu as if she hasn't been eating there every day since she arrived. "So, um…" She clears her throat.

Henry pushes the menu down so he can see her eyes. "Spit it out, Ma."

Emma drops the menu harder than necessary. "How is your mom?"

With a smile, Henry rests back in his seat. "She's healing. Much better now actually. She doesn't have to spend so much time with other people in the house watching over her. It's just me and her right now."

"Your grandmother?"

Henry shakes his head. "Only about once or twice a week when Mom invites her over. I can't tell if she got used to having Gram around or if she feels guilty for all of her help. All last week, I got her to go out at least once a day. She's been to the office."

Emma nods slowly. "How is she… emotionally?"

"I'm not sure, Ma. She seems okay, but it's not like she pours out her heart to me over a night cap before bed each night."

Rolling her eyes, Emma waves down a waitress. "I just thought maybe she let some stuff slip or something."

Henry shakes his head. "Not really, Ma. Why don't you just ask her?"

The waitress approaches the table and smiles at Emma. "Ms. Swan, it's good to see you today. How are you?"

"Just fine, Brit. How are you?"

"Better now that my favorite customer is here."

Henry clears his throat, drawing Brit's attention. "I'll have a coke please."

Brit smiles and looks back at Emma. "Coke or beer?"

"Beer is fine. Thanks."

With a nod, the waitress leaves the table. Henry slaps his hands on the table and leans forward. "What the hell is that?"

"Chill, Kid. She's just a waitress."

"Favorite customer?"

Emma shrugs. "I've been here for quite a while if you haven't noticed. She just likes to flirt. It's harmless."

"Have you done anything?"

Emma glares at Henry. "That is none of your business, Henry."

Henry crosses his arms and sits back stiffly in his chair. "None of my business, huh? So the stability of my family shouldn't matter to me?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Emma groans. "Just cool it, Kid. No, there's nothing going on. She just has a crush. I don't. End of story."

Henry loosens his arms and relaxes a bit. "Okay. Well, good."

"Though it's still not your concern what I do in my bedroom."

His face falling into hurt, Henry whispers, "Do you want someone other than Mom?"

Emma runs her hands over her face. "That's not what I'm saying. You know I love Regina. You know I'm in love with your mom. That's not going to suddenly change because of a stupid freak accident. But I have to be realistic."

"Realistic? How about patient?"

"I can't wait forever, Henry."

"Are you saying she's not worth waiting for?"

Emma sits up quickly. "No, no, that's not what I'm saying. I would wait all my life for her, but if she doesn't want me, what am I waiting for? Should I waste my life groveling at the feet of someone who can never love me?"

"Please give her another chance. Don't give up just yet."

Brit sets the drinks on the table. "Are you ready to order?"

Before Emma can speak, Henry responds, "No, not just yet. We'll let you know when."

Brit nods and smiles. She winks at Emma as she leaves the table.

"You know," Emma says, turning to Henry, "that is becoming more annoying now that you challenged it."

Henry smiles. "Just doing my part." His phone buzzes. "Speaking of my part," he mumbles as he looks at the phone.

"What is it?"

Henry stands up. "I've got to get something from the desk. I'll be right back."

"Want me to come with you?" Emma's eyes follow Henry as he rushes from the table.

"Drink your beer, Ma. I'll be right back."

Emma watches him until he disappears then turns back and sips her beer. "Weirdo." When she hears Henry call for her, she looks over her shoulder and nearly drops her beer. She jumps to her feet. When Brit passes, she grabs her arm. "I'm going to need something stronger."

Brit nods then walks off to the bar, looking as confused as Emma.

"Hello, Emma," Regina says from the entrance to the restaurant, a beaming Henry at her side.


	72. Chapter 72

**A/N: I apologize to my lovely readers. I was in the process of moving back to Atlanta. Just finished this at my nice new writing setup, so I hope you enjoy. Again, thank you for sticking with me in this unexpected life transition.**

Regina sits stiffly in the seat once accompanied by Henry whom has already retired to his room. She stirs the short straw in her cocktail and stares at a silent Emma.

"Are we going to sit in silence all night, Emma?" Regina asks with a sigh, trying to hide her nervousness. She takes a sip then, noticing her trembling hands, quickly places both hands on the glass.

"Perhaps," Emma mumbles avoiding eye contact with Regina.

"Personally, I feel we have gone long enough without speaking. I had grown rather accustomed to your voice and would like to hear more of it."

Emma slams back her glass of whiskey, even tonguing the ice cubes for every last drop, eliciting a giggle from Regina. Emma stops and slowly lowers the glass. "I haven't heard you laugh like that in what feels like years."

Regina bows her head to hide her blush. "I'm certain you are the only one to bring it out of me."

"I'd like to keep it that way."

"You would?" Regina's eyes shoot up, hopefully, to study Emma's face.

Emma shrugs. "I mean, I think. I don't know, Regina. I know that I love you, and I love being the only one that makes you giggle all cute and shit." Leaning back, Emma runs her hands through her hair.

"I love your hair," Regina nearly whispers, watching Emma's hair flowing down the back of the chair.

"Don't do that," Emma practically begs, sitting upright.

"Don't do what?"

"That," Emma gestures at Regina.

Regina looks down at herself then back at Emma. "You're going to have to be more specific than that, dear."

Emma narrows her eyes and groans. "Dammit, Regina. I can't do this. I was doing just fine before-"

"Were you really?" Regina challenges.

"Yes, really," Emma spits back. She stands up. "I need some air. Enjoy your drink." Turning back after a few steps, Emma points at the drinks on the table. "And you're paying."

Regina rolls her eyes and watches Emma trudge off. She takes a sip of her drink, sucks her teeth, and drops cash on the table before getting up to leave.

Brit quickly makes her way to the table before Regina can leave. "Can I get anything else for you, ma'am?"

Regina eyes Brit. "Yes. You can stop flirting with my wife." She pushes past Brit.

Jumping in front of Regina again, Brit asks, "Emma is your wife?"

"What? I meant…" Regina glances at the exit, Emma out of sight. She turns back to Brit with a smirk. "Yes, she is." She looks Brit up and down again. "And you are little more than a child, so leave Ms. Swan be."

Brit backs up a few steps. "I never meant any disrespect, ma'am. I apologize."

Regina flicks her hand and marches off, feeling momentarily victorious and only a tiny bit vindictive.

In her room, Regina sits in a chair and watches the waves crash against the empty beach in front of her.

Henry plops down next to her and pats her arm. "Things'll work out, Mom. You can't really be surprised that we took Ma off guard. Give her a few."

"A few what? Minutes, hours, days, years?" Regina huffs and crosses her arms, not pulling her eyes off of the beach.

"Just be patient, Mom," Henry stresses.

Regina rests her head on the chair and rubs her temples. "I'm doing my best, Henry. And before you ask, yes I will wait for your mother."

"Well, maybe you won't have to wait much longer," Henry says, getting up from his chair.

"Regina Mills, get your cute little ass out here right now!"

Jolting upright, Regina sees a very displeased Emma out on the beach in front of them with her hands on her hips.

Henry waves to Emma but stops when she glares at him. He quickly retreats with a 'good luck' to his mom.

Regina stands, straightens her clothes, and kicks off her shoes to meet Emma out on the beach.

Once Regina is in front of her, Emma narrows her eyes. "Wife?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't bullshit me. You know what I'm talking about."

Regina clears her throat. "The term may have slipped out."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Sounds like you drove the point into the ground pretty fiercely."

It's Regina's turn to narrow her eyes at Emma. "Why, exactly, are you so concerned about what I said to that… girl?"

"I'm not. I just… You told her I was your wife."

"Which you are not, I understand; however, you seem upset that I merely suggested she stop her flirtatious behaviors with you."

"Suggested?" Emma challenges.

"My point stands, dear," Regina retorts.

Emma drops her hands from her sides. "Fine. Whatever. It doesn't matter."

Regina crosses her arms. "Unless you want to tell me about some detour with little miss waitress."

"Want to tell me about your actual detour with that fucking lawyer?"

Regina steps back and lowers her eyes. "I told her no, Emma. I realize that my emotions swayed with all of the confusion, but I never touched her."

Emma studies Regina's face. "And how are those emotions now?"

Regina looks back up at Emma and confidently says, "Not focused on Ms. Rogan."

Looking down at her feet, Emma kicks the sand, gathering her thoughts. "So who are they focused on?" she asks sheepishly.

Taking a step forward, Regina gathers her courage and gently raises Emma's chin with her fingers. "You, my love."

Emma surges forward, wrapping one arm around Regina's back, gripping Regina's hair with the other hand, and kisses Regina hard. Silent tears fall from each of their eyes as they lose themselves in the kiss. Regina runs her hands under Emma's beater, feeling her muscular back.

Suddenly, Emma breaks the kiss and pushes back.

"What's wrong?" Regina asks, confused at the sudden loss of contact. She reaches out for Emma and is hurt when Emma steps back.

"I'm sorry." Emma turns and sprints down the beach.

"Emma, stop. Please." Regina tries to follow, calling for Emma the whole way, but Emma is too fast for her. Instead, she collapses on the ground and buries her face in her knees, sobbing.


	73. Chapter 73

**A/N: 2 chapters in 1 day! I had to make 72 a little angsty before this lovely bit.**

Regina zips up her suitcase and lays out her bags on the bed.

Henry follows her around the room, right at her heels. "Mom, stop. Come on. There has to be an explanation."

"For running away?" Regina turns to Henry. "She ran away as if she suddenly realized I am the worst decision she has ever made." She turns back to the bed and fiddles with her luggage. "There's no point. She's done with me."

"Who's done with you?" Emma asks from the doorway.

Regina spins around, eyes wide seeing Emma breathing heavy and covered in sweat. She clears her throat, trying to ignore the desire building up in her at the sight.

Emma steps into the room and looks at the bed. "Are you leaving?"

"I thought it would be wise," Regina says coolly.

Emma nods Henry off then turns to Regina. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Regina moves into the bathroom to place items in a bag.

Reaching out, Emma takes Regina's arm and spins her around. "For stopping. For running. For leaving you without a word."

Regina stares at Emma's hand on her arm before looking into Emma's eyes and studying her expression. "Why did you run away from me?"

Emma bows her head. "I was scared."

"Look at me," Regina demands.

Looking up, Emma repeats, "I was scared. I was afraid that I was throwing myself into the lion's den. How do I know you really love me again? How do I know this isn't some attempt to just lure me back in out of pity?"

Regina fiddles with the bottom of Emma's beater and steps closer. She leans up in Emma's ear. "How about I show you exactly how I feel?"

Emma's breath catches. She looks back and forth between Regina's eyes. She can't deny that she's been wanting this.

Regina takes Emma's hand and slips it under her panties, letting Emma feel how wet she is. Emma moans deeply and presses her fingers up against Regina's folds. Regina drags her tongue across Emma's jaw and flicks her earlobe. "Do you see how much I want you?"

Emma nods and pulls Regina close to her. She kicks the bathroom door closed and spins them, pushing Regina flush against the door.

Regina makes quick work of removing Emma's beater and bathing suit top as Emma bites and sucks on Regina's neck, sure to leave a mark. A mark big enough to let people know she's taken.

Emma carelessly yanks off Regina's top, too impatient to worry about ripping the material. She slowly removes Regina's bra, kissing and licking every bit of skin as it is exposed to her.

Dragging her nails down her lover's back, Regina moans and presses her breast into Emma's mouth as she sucks on her nipple. Regina slides her hands back up and moans again when Emma moves to the other nipple. "I love your hair," Regina breathes out, running her fingers through the long blonde locks.

Emma drags her tongue up Regina's chest and neck. "I said don't do that," she says with a wink before crashing their lips together and leaning into her. She slips a thigh between Regina's legs and flexes it, putting pressure on Regina's clit.

Emma drops to her knees and pulls down Regina's pants and underwear kissing down her thighs as she goes. Pants off, she drags her hands and tongue back up Regina. Her hands move all the way up to massage Regina's breasts while her tongue runs across Regina's folds. She slides her hands down Regina's stomach and squeezes her ass with both hands, dipping her tongue between the glistening folds.

Regina moans loudly.

"Okay, well I'm just gonna go now," Henry calls from the room.

They hear the door close. Regina covers her face with her hand. "We forgot about Henry."

Emma stares at the door for a moment, contemplating, then looks back at Regina. "Fuck it," she declares, jumping to her feet. She grabs Regina's ass and lifts her up.

Regina instantly wraps her legs around Emma's waist, grinding into her stomach.

Emma kisses her hard with one arm wrapped tight around her back. The other hand slides down between them, fingers resting just above Regina's clit.

Needing more, Regina whines and tries to move her hips up to Emma's fingers.

"Tell me what you want," Emma says, holding her fingers still.

"I want you," Regina breathes out.

Attaching her lips to that already visible mark on Regina's neck, Emma slips her fingers between Regina's folds. She dips her fingers lightly inside her core then slides her fingers up to the clit, circling it, spreading Regina's warm wetness.

Regina digs her nails into Emma's back, working her hips against Emma's fingers that are moving far too slowly against her clit. "Emma, please."

"Please what?"

Regina grabs Emma's face and stares at her, only inches away. "Fuck me. Now."

Emma sucks Regina's lip between her teeth as she plunges two fingers inside her. She holds them there until Regina groans again. Curling her fingers, she slowly drags them down Regina's wall.

Regina whips her head around and bites Emma's neck, eliciting a tiny yelp from Emma. "Stop teasing me, and fuck me."

"Yes, ma'am," Emma responds with a smirk. She pulls her fingers all the way out then pushes them all the way in. Moving faster, she places her thumb on Regina's clit for extra stimulation.

Regina moans loudly, rocking her hips against Emma's fingers. She digs her heels into Emma's back, pulling her closer, wanting her hard and deep. "Don't stop. Don't you dare stop."

Emma licks and sucks across Regina's neck and chest. Her thumb pushing down on Regina's clit every time she pulls hard on her wall, letting Regina feel every bit of that bundle of nerves firing.

"Emma," Regina moans, moving her hips hard and fast. She pulls herself off the door, wrapping her arms tight around Emma's shoulders. She lifts her hips up and down. Her orgasm builds up inside her.

Emma bites her own lip as Regina's walls tighten around her fingers. She moans at the feeling of Regina's nipples rubbing across her own.

"Emma. Oh fuck. Emma!" Regina yells out as her orgasm washes over her.

Emma pulls her fingers out of Regina slowly and grins at the cum dripping off of them. She tries lowering Regina to the ground, but Regina holds on tight and shakes her head. Smiling, she wraps her arm around Regina's back again.

Seeing Emma reaching for the sink to rinse her fingers, Regina reaches out and grabs her hand. She pulls Emma's coated fingers to her lips and sucks them clean.

Emma takes a deep breath and bites her lip, staring intensely at the sight before her.

Regina leans in to kiss Emma, running her tongue along Emma's so she can taste her. She pulls back and grabs Emma's earlobe with her teeth. "If you think we're done, you are sorely mistaken, my dear."

With a huge grin, Emma pulls them back and throws open the bathroom door. In the bedroom, she drops Regina on her back on the bed, stares down at the gorgeous naked woman below her, then grabs her thighs and yanks her to the edge of the bed. "You are so fucking sexy."

"And I'm all yours," Regina says, opening her legs to Emma.


End file.
